The Defence Acquisition Council on Thursday gave its nod for the capital acquisition of proposals worth approximately Rupees 7,800 crore to enhance the operational capabilities of the armed forces. The proposals were accorded during the meeting of Defence Acquisition Council held under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) was accorded for procurement and installation of Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite on Mi-17 V5 Helicopters, as per an official release by the Ministry of Defence on Thursday.
According to the ministry, all the procurements will be made from indigenous sources only.
“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 Buy (Indian-IDDM) category which will enhance better survivability of Helicopters. The EW Suite will be procured from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL),” read the statement.
The DAC also accorded AoN for procurement of Ground-Based Autonomous System for mechanised infantry and armoured regiments which will enable various operations like unmanned surveillance, logistic delivery of ammunition, fuel & spares and casualty evacuation in the battle field, it added.
The proposals were also accepted for procurement of a 7.62x51 mm Light Machine Gun (LMG) and Bridge Laying Tank (BLT). While induction of LMG will enhance fighting capabilities of infantry forces, the induction of BLT will result in faster movement of Mechanised Forces, the ministry stated.
The proposal for procurement of Ruggedised Laptops and Tablets for the Indian Army under Project Shakti has also been accorded.
“To enhance the operational capability of the MH-60R Helicopters of the Indian Navy, the DAC has accorded AoN for procurement of weapons for the same,” said the defence ministry.