Sunday , December 8 2024

Center approves Rs 84,560 crore to buy indigenous weapons

New Delhi, 16 February (HS). The Central Government on Friday approved Rs 84,560 crore to make the defense sector 'self-reliant'. The Defense Ministry has approved the proposal to purchase 9 maritime surveillance aircraft for the Indian Navy and 6 maritime patrol aircraft for the Indian Coast Guard. These 15 maritime patrol aircraft will be manufactured in the C-295 transport aircraft facility on the 'Made in India' initiative. The cost of these projects is approximately Rs 29 thousand crores.

A meeting of the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) was held today under the chairmanship of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, in which various weapons and platforms will be purchased for Rs 84,560 crore. Special emphasis has been laid on procurement of various equipment from Indian vendors behind granting Approval of Requirement (AON) for capital acquisition proposals. These proposals include new generation anti-tank mines, air defense strategic control radars, heavy-duty torpedoes, medium-range maritime reconnaissance and multi-mission seaplanes, flying refueller aircraft and software defined radios.

After this approval of the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC), indigenous weapons will be purchased to boost the capabilities of the armed forces and the Indian Coast Guard. Amendments to the Defense Acquisition Procedure-2020 have also been approved to promote procurement of advanced technologies from start-ups and MSMEs, thereby promoting 'Ease of Doing Business' in India. DAC has approved the procurement of medium range maritime reconnaissance and multi-mission maritime aircraft to strengthen the surveillance and interdiction capabilities of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in the country's vast maritime domain.

Approval has also been received for 24 MH-60R aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales route with the US government. DAC has granted AON for procurement of Flight Refueler aircraft to enhance the operational capability of the Indian Air Force. AON has also been given for procurement of Software Defined Radio for ICG. It will meet the ICG's requirement of high speed communication with secure networking capability for seamless information exchange between the ICG and Indian Naval units.

DAC has approved AON to procure new generation anti-tank mines with provision for seismic sensors and remote deactivation with additional safety features. Similarly, AON has also been awarded for the procurement of Anti-Armor Loiter, a canister launched munition system to engage targets beyond the visual line of sight and increase operational efficiency in the tactical battlefield. Further approval for procurement of Air Defense Strategic Control Radar for surveillance, identification and tracking of various targets along with capabilities to detect slow, small and low flying targets especially to strengthen the air defense systems. Has been given.

According to the Defense Ministry, to create a conducive startup ecosystem in India, DAC has launched the Defense Acquisition Process (DAC) to promote the procurement of advanced technologies from start-ups and MSMEs developed under the Innovation for Defense Excellence (IDEX) and Technology Development Fund (TDF) schemes. Amendment in DAP) has been approved. This will provide necessary incentives along with business environment for start-ups and MSMEs under IDEX and TDF schemes.