The acquisitions are designed to enhance lethality, mobility and intelligence-gathering capabilities across the services; Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Rajnath, approves the proposals.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Thursday approved a series of capital acquisition proposals worth around ₹79,000 crore aimed at strengthening the operational capabilities of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
The Defence Ministry said the approvals granted during a meeting at South Block would cover a wide spectrum of platforms and systems designed to enhance lethality, mobility, and intelligence-gathering capabilities across the Services.
For the Army, the DAC accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of the Nag missile system (tracked) Mk-II (NAMIS), ground-based mobile ELINT System (GBMES), and high-mobility vehicles (HMVs) with material handling cranes.
The NAMIS (Tracked) will bolster the Army’s ability to destroy enemy armoured vehicles, bunkers, and other fortified positions, while the GBMES will provide round-the-clock electronic intelligence on enemy emitters. The induction of HMVs is expected to significantly enhance logistic support in challenging terrains.
For the Navy, the AoN was granted for the acquisition of landing platform docks (LPDs), 30 mm naval surface guns, advanced light weight torpedoes (ALWTs), electro-optical infrared search-and-track systems, and smart ammunition for 76 mm super rapid gun mounts.
The LPDs will augment the Navy’s amphibious warfare capabilities and enable it to undertake joint operations with the Army and Air Force. They will also enhance India’s capacity to conduct peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief (HADR) missions. The indigenously developed ALWT by the DRDO’s Naval Science and Technological Laboratory is capable of engaging conventional, nuclear, and midget submarines.
For the Indian Air Force, the AoN was accorded for the collaborative long-range target saturation/destruction system (CLRTS/DS) and other related systems. The CLRTS/DS features autonomous take-off and landing, navigation, target detection and payload delivery capabilities, aimed at augmenting the IAF’s long-range precision engagement capacity.
The approvals reflect the government’s continuing emphasis on modernisation, self-reliance and indigenisation under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, officials said.
