NEW DELHI: The Defence Acquisition Council on Tuesday cleared an important first step for buying military equipment and weapons worth Rs 28,732 crore, by accepting they were necessary for force. The proposals include procuring swarm drones, bulletproof jackets and carbines under the indigenously designed, developed and manufactured scheme to promote self-reliance.
The council’s meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The approvals are expected to provide impetus to the domestic small arms manufacturing industry. They also came amid a standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.
Bulletproof jackets with Indian Standard BIS VI level of protection were put on the procurement list “considering the demand of enhanced protection against the threat of enemy snipers for our troops deployed along the Line of Control, and in close combat operations in counter-terrorism scenario,” the defence ministry said.
Also on the buy list are about 4 lakh close-quarter battle carbines for the services of conventional and hybrid warfare and counter-terrorism at the borders. Since drones were a force multiplier in military operations in recent conflicts across the world, the council approved the procurement of autonomous surveillance and armed drone swarms.
A proposal to procure 14 fast patrol vessels for the Indian Coast Guard with 60% Indian content, too, has been cleared. The council also approved the Navy’s proposal to procure an upgraded 1,250 KW marine gas turbine generator for power generation on board the Kolkata class of ships.
Also among the approved proposals are guided extended range rocket ammunition, area denial munition Type I and infantry combat vehicle command, which have been designed and developed by DRDO. The total value of these three proposals is Rs 8,599 crore. The extended range rocket ammo has a range of 75 km with an accuracy of 40 metres. The Type I ammo contains dual-purpose sub-munitions capable of neutralising tanks and armoured personnel carriers.