Defence Ministry approves proposals worth Rs 28,732 crore to procure arms including swarm drones

New Delhi: The defence ministry on Tuesday approved the procurement of military equipment and weapons worth Rs 28,000 crore including swarm drones, carbines and bulletproof jackets. The procurement proposals were cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. “The Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals of the armed forces amounting to Rs 28,732 crore were accorded by the DAC,” the defence ministry said in a statement. The approval of the new procurement proposals came amid India’s ongoing border row with China in eastern Ladakh. The ministry said approval to procure four lakh close-quarter battle carbines was granted to combat the “current complex paradigm of conventional and hybrid warfare”. “This is set to provide a major impetus to the small arms manufacturing industry in India and enhance AtmaNirbharta (self-reliance) in small arms,” the ministry said. “Considering the demand of enhanced protection against the threat of enemy snipers to our troops deployed along the Line of Control, and in close combat operations in counter-terrorism scenario, the DAC accorded AoN for bulletproof jackets with Indian Standard BIS VI level of protection,” it said. Focus on drones In recent conflicts across the world, drone technology proved to be a force multiplier in military operations, the ministry said. Accordingly, to augment the Indian Army’s capability in modern warfare, AoN for procurement of Autonomous Surveillance and Armed Drone Swarms has been accorded by the DAC under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category. Earlier this month, several media reports said that an Israeli firm will supply 67 rotary wing drones to the Indian Army for deployment along the Line of Control. Apart from this, the DAC also approved the Navy’s proposal to procure an upgraded 1250KW capacity Marine Gas Turbine Generator for power generation application onboard Kolkata class of ships. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.