India: Defence ministry approves proposals of equipment worth over $500mn for Army, Navy

In a statement, the Indian Ministry of Defence, on Tuesday (January 10) said they have approved three capital acquisition proposals amounting to nearly $526 million (Rs. 4,300 crores) for the Indian Army and Navy. This comes after the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting chaired by the country’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who accorded the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) of two proposals by the Indian Army and one by the Navy.

In line with the Indian government's push for Make in India initiative, the three proposals are under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category which refers to a category of acquisition of products from an Indian vendor that has been indigenously designed, developed and manufactured with a minimum of 50 per cent Indigenous Content (IC).

“The DAC accorded AoN for procurement of HELINA Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, launchers and associated support equipment which will be integrated to the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH),” said the defence ministry, in the statement.

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Additionally, they also said how the procurement of anti-tank guided missiles is an essential part of weaponising ALHs in “countering enemy threats”. Notably, HELINA is said to be one of the most advanced anti-tank weapons in the world and the defence ministry said that its integrationwill boost the Indian Army’s offensive capabilities.

The DAC also approved the procurement of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) designed and developed, VSHORAD (IR Homing) missile system. It is said to be “man-portable”, and robust and with its quickly deployable system, it can be swiftly used on rugged terrain as well as in the maritime domain.

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The statement also mentioned how it would strengthen the Air Defence (AD) capabilities, especially in the context of the recent developments along India’s northern borders.

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The procurement of the Brahmos Launcher and Fire Control System (FCS) for the Indian Navy’s Shivalik class of ships and Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs) has also been approved by the DAC. “With their induction, these ships would have enhanced capability of carrying out maritime strike operations, interdicting and destroying enemy’s warships and merchant vessels,” said the defence ministry.

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