NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar cleared the decks for defence procurement worth Rs 30,000 crore at a key meeting in South Block on Tuesday.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting decided to replace the Army’s vintage air defence guns with new ones and to buy four more P81 long-range maritime patrol aircraft for the Navy.
According to sources, the Army will procure 428 air defence guns for Rs 16,900 crore. The DAC also decided that the Army’s L70 and Zu 23mm guns need to be replaced under the buy-and-make category. The approval will now pave the way for issuing a request for proposal.
The sources further said that only two Indian companies -- Punj Lloyd and Bharat Forge-- had responded to an Army request for information on the procurement plan.
Another other major deal cleared, for the acquisition of four more P81 aircraft, is worth Rs 4,380 crore.
The original eight-aircraft deal was signed in 2009 and, as per the agreement, three each were to be delivered in 2013 and 2014 and two in 2015.
Other major deals cleared for the Navy, include the one for the upgrade of the weapon and sensor suite of the Delhi-class and Talwar-class ships during their midlife refit for Rs 2,900 crore.
Six ships will see a new surface-to-air missile system that will be bought from Russia, besides new radar systems.
The DAC also extended the nod granted in 2012 to four large survey vessels worth Rs 2,324 crore. This will pave the way for the Navy to issue a request for proposal under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
According to the sources, the Navy’s proposal for buying 23 combat management systems for Rs 624 crore was also approved along with proposals like the one for a Brahmos training facility (Rs 30 crore), replacement of radar systems for Kora-class missile boats(Rs 440 crore), a new data transmission and storage system for Delhi-class ships(Rs 260 crore) and an air combat manoeuvring system for MiG-29 and Hawks (Rs 200 crore).MoD Tender for six Submarines Soon
A high-level committee of the MoD has submitted its report identifying the shipyards capable of executing the around Rs 60,000 crore project for building the next six conventional submarines under Project P75I. A Request for Proposal (RFP) would be issued soon in this regard, according to a top Naval officer. Addressing reporters a day before the Navy’s seminar on ‘innovation and indigenisation sailing towards self-reliance’, Vice Chief of Navy Vice Admiral P Murugesan said that the Navy was aiming to have a 200-ship fleet by 2027 as per a maritime capability perspective plan in order to guard the interests and assets of the nation in the waters around them.