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The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for nine capital acquisition proposals of approximately INR 45,000 crore, the Defence Ministry said on Friday.
The AoN for the procurement of 12 Su-30 MKI aircraft with associated equipment from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was also granted, an official added.
According to the Defence Ministry, to enhance the protection, mobility, attack capability, and increased survivability of mechanised forces, the DAC accorded AoN for the procurement of Light Armoured Multipurpose Vehicles (LAMV) and Integrated Surveillance and Targeting System (ISAT-S).
It also cleared AoN for the procurement of High Mobility Vehicle (HMV) and Gun Towing Vehicles for swift mobilization and deployment of artillery guns and radars.
In another boost to Aatmanirbharta in Defence the Defence Acquisition Council today approved AoN for nine capital acquisition proposals for the Armed Forces worth Rs 45,000 crore.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 15, 2023
⁰Procurement of Light Armoured Multipurpose Vehicles, Integrated Surveillance & Targeting System…
The DAC also approved the procurement of Next Generation Survey Vessels for the Indian Navy, which will greatly enhance its capabilities in performing hydrographic operations, a ministry official added.
All these procurements will be made from Indian vendors under the Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDDM)/Buy (Indian) category, which will substantially boost the Indian defence industry toward achieving the goal of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat,' the official added.
The DAC also accorded AoN for proposals of the Indian Air Force, which included avionic upgradation of Dornier aircraft to improve accuracy and reliability for operations. The procurement of Dhruvastra Short Range Air-to-Surface Missiles as a potent indigenous precision-guided weapon for indigenously-built ALH Mk-IV helicopters has been cleared.
During the meeting, Rajnath Singh stated that it was time to upgrade ambitions toward indigenisation. "Rather than a threshold of 50 per cent indigenous content for IDDM projects, we should aim for a minimum of 60-65 per cent indigenous content," he said.
He directed the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, Defence Secretary, and the DG, Acquisition, to work towards increasing the minimum indigenous content threshold in consultation with the Indian Industry, the official added.