India makes record local defence purchases due to Russia's rouble roadblock: Report
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defence minister Rajnath Singh (second)
India and Russia are yet to make final headway to clear outstanding rouble payments for New Delhi's defence purchases from Moscow amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and the US-led economic sanctions against Russia. As the current financial year ends in the absence of a solution to this problem, New Delhi has kicked off a local buying spree for its defence needs, The Indian Express newspaper reported.
This is because a significant chunk of unspent defence funds consist of the rouble payments worth ₹28,000 crore ($3.39 billion) for weapons India procured from Russia, the report concluded. This financial headroom is being utilised for local defence purchases by New Delhi.
The report, while citing officials familiar with the matter, said a number of defence acquisitions are set to get an official nod by the end of this month.
India's potential local defence purchases
Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy have communicated their various buying and acquisition needs to the defence ministry in the past.
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For the Indian Army, this includes the Electronic Warfare system for mountains, and a dedicated communication satellite among others.
For the Indian Air Force, this entails medium and high power radars, six Dornier-228 aircraft and 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft among others.
For the Indian Navy, the buying and acquisition needs consist of fleet support ships, Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPVs), Next-Generation Missile Vessels and Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Batteries (NGMMCBs) with BrahMos missiles.
Spotlight on India's homegrown defence self-sufficiency
India's defence ministry on Monday signed a contract with Vishakhapatnam-headquartered Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) for normal refit of a third Kilo Class diesel-electric submarine Sindhukirti, The Indian Express reported.
Last Friday, the Ministry of Defence greenlighted a ₹667 Crore ($80.89 million) contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to procure six Dornier-228 aircraft meant to be used for transport and communication duties.
Earlier in March 2023, the procurement for 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft was approved with HAL at ₹6,828 Crore ($828 million), The Indian Express report added.
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