India approves ₹52,000 crore defence purchases, anti-tank missiles and kamikaze drones included
DAC clears ₹52,000 crore defence procurement, approving Akash Tarang, MPATGM, MRSAM, V-SHORADS, tank protection systems and kamikaze drones.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Friday gave its go-ahead for the purchase of weapons and systems worth ₹52,000 crore to boost the armed forces’ capabilities.
The capability enhancement approved by the council, India’s apex defence procurement body, covers the procurement of a raft of systems, ranging from the anti-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) electronic warfare system AKASH TARANG and man-portable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM) systems to the medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) weapon system, the defence ministry said.
The DAC also accorded its Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of the very short-range air defence system (V-SHORADS), an active protection system for tanks, and a jet-based kamikaze drone system, the ministry added in a statement.
The military hardware listed above is intended for the Army.
Under India’s defence procurement rules, AoN by the council is the first step towards acquiring military equipment. The DAC convened for the first time under India’s new military leadership—Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani, Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, and Army Chief General Dheeraj Seth. The top appointments were made recently.
