TSAMTO, March 17. At a meeting of the Defense Procurement Council (DAC) of the Ministry of Defense of India, it was decided to grant "Approval of the need for procurement" (Acceptance of Necessity – AoN) for projects worth more than 705 billion rubles. rupees ($8.5 billion).
The meeting was held on March 16 under the chairmanship of Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
Purchases will be carried out in the category "Purchase of designed, developed and manufactured in India" (Indian-IDDM – Indian-indigenously designed, developed and manufactured) "Defense Procurement Procedures 2020" (DAP 2020).
Of the total number of projects, purchases for the Indian Navy amount to more than 560 billion. rupees. The funds are mainly directed to the purchase of the Brahmos missile defense system, Shakti electronic warfare systems, and marine multipurpose helicopters.
While additional purchases of the Brahmos missile system will increase the capabilities of the Navy to strike and defeat surface targets, the supply of helicopters will significantly increase the capabilities of the Indian Navy in search and rescue operations, evacuation of the wounded, humanitarian assistance in case of disasters (HADR), etc. Similarly, modern ships will be equipped with Shakti systems The Indian Navy to counter the enemy's electronic warfare.
Granting AON for the purchase of a marine diesel engine in the Make-I category is an important step, as for the first time India is embarking on the development and production of such engines on its own to achieve self-sufficiency and use the capabilities of industry to achieve the goal of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
As stated, in order to "keep up with developing technologies and resist the enemy on the western and northern flanks," the government realized the need for new weapons and their integration with delivery platforms. To achieve these goals, the DAC approved the proposal of the Indian Air Force to create a long-range weapon (LRSOW), which will be designed, developed and integrated into Su-30MKI aircraft.
As for the modernization of artillery, in addition to the Dhanush and K9 Vajra-T artillery systems in service, the DAC Council approved AoN for the purchase of a 155 mm/52 advanced towed ATAGS gun (Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System) along with highly mobile vehicles (HMV) and artillery tractors (GTV) for SV India. AoN was also approved for the purchase of advanced light helicopters ALH Mk.3 of the national company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Coast Guard. The helicopter will be able to carry an improved set of surveillance equipment, will be able to fly at night and in accordance with the rules of instrument flights.
Including the latest proposals, the total amount of "purchase necessity approvals" provided for capital purchases in 2022/23 is more than 2.71 trillion. rupees (about $ 32.5 billion), of which 99% of the acquisitions will be carried out from Indian manufacturers (information on the cost parameters of the main purchases from national manufacturers was provided by CAMTO earlier).
