DAC nod to Anti-Tank Mines, radar, torpedoes worth Rs 84,560 cr for armed forces

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Friday approved the proposal for procurement of new generation Air Defence Tactical Control Radar (ADTCR) and heavyweight Torpedoes for the armed forces.

The MoD has also given its approval for Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance and Multi Mission Maritime Aircraft, Flight refueling aircraft and Software Defined Radios.

The MoD said that its Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded approval for Acceptance of Necessity (AoNs) for various capital acquisition proposals amounting to Rs 84,560 crore.

The approval lays special emphasis on procurement of equipment from Indian vendors.

The DAC has given approval for Anti-Tank Mines having seismic sensors and provision for remote deactivation with additional safety features.

In order to enhance operational efficiency and domination in the Tactical Battle Area for engaging targets that are Beyond Visual Line of Sight by the Mechanised Forces, the AoN under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category has been accorded for procurement of Canister Launched Anti-Armour Loiter Ammunition System, the MoD added.

The ministry said that to strengthen the Air Defence Systems, especially the capabilities to detect slow, small and low-flying targets as well as surveillance, detection and tracking of different targets, the AoN has been accorded for procurement of ADTCR under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category.

It has also approved strengthening of the surveillance and interdiction capabilities of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) over the country's vast maritime area.

Further, to keep the Indian Navy's ships one step ahead of the threats posed by adversaries, the AoN under Buy (Indian) category has been accorded for procurement of Active Towed Array Sonar having capabilities to operate at low frequencies and various depths for long range detections of adversary submarines.

The AoN has also been accorded for procurement of heavyweight torpedoes for enhancing the attacking capabilities of Kalvari-Class submarines.

The DAC accorded AoN for procurement of Flight Refueling Aircraft for enhancing the operational capabilities and reach of the Indian Air Force.

The AoN under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category for procurement of Software Defined Radios for the ICG has also been granted. This will fulfill the requirement of the ICG for high-speed communication with secure networking capability for seamless information exchange between the ICG and the Indian Navy units, the MoD added.

The MoD said that to create a friendly Defence start-up ecosystem and promote procurement of advanced technologies from start-ups and MSMEs developed under the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and Technology Development Fund (TDF) schemes, the DAC has approved amendments in the Defence Acquisition Procedure.

This will provide the much-needed incentive along with a supportive business environment for the startups and MSMEs under iDEX and TDF schemes, truly in the spirit of 'Ease of Doing Business'.

(With inputs from IANS)