DAC approves proposals worth Rs 7,800 Cr to purchase defence equipment

A proposal to procure defence equipment was approved on Thursday by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) with an aim to enhance the efficiency of the Indian Air Force. A meeting of DAC held under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals worth approximately Rs 7,800 crore. To enhance the efficiency of the Indian Air Force, the DAC has granted AoN for procurement and installation of Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite on Mi-17 V5 Helicopters under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category which will enhance better survivability of Helicopters. The EW suite will be procured from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The DAC has also accorded AoN for procurement of a ground-based Autonomous System for mechanised infantry and armoured regiments which will enable various operations like unmanned surveillance, logistic delivery of ammunition, fuel and spares and casualty evacuation in the battlefield, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Proposals for procurement of a 7.62x51 mm Light Machine Gun (LMG) and Bridge Laying Tank (BLT) have also been given the go-ahead by the DAC. While induction of LMG will enhance the fighting capabilities of infantry forces, the induction of BLT will result in faster movement of mechanised forces. The AoN for procurement of ruggedised laptops and tablets for the Indian Army under Project Shakti has also been accorded. All these procurements will be sourced from Indigenous vendors only, it said. To enhance the operational capability of the MH-60R Helicopters of the Indian Navy, the DAC also accorded AoN for procurement of weapons for the same.