Defence Ministry Inks Deal Worth Rs 802 Cr To Procure Military Equipment

The Defence Ministry has signed contracts worth Rs 802 crores for the procurement of Bogie Open Military Wagons and Mechanical Minefield Marking Equipment (MMME) Mark II.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Source : PTI

The Ministry of Defence has signed two contracts for the procurement of Qty-697 Bogie Open Military (BOM) Wagons with M/s Jupiter Wagons Limited at a cost of 473 Cr and with M/s BEML Ltd for the procurement of Qty-56 Mechanical Minefield Marking Equipment (MMME) Mark II at a cost of 329 Cr with. These contracts were inked on Thursday under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category in New Delhi, stated an official release of the Ministry of Defence.

According to the release, the BOM Wagon and MMME will be produced with equipment and sub-systems that will be sourced from indigenous manufacturers. This will give a boost to indigenous manufacturing and participation of the private sector in defence production, which will be in line with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

How Will BOM & MMME Contribute To Strengthening Our Defence Forces

Designed by Research Design and Standard Organization (RDSO), BOM wagons are specialist wagons used by the Indian Army for mobilization of the Army units. They are used to transport light vehicles, Artillery Guns, BMPs, Engineering Equipment etc. from their peacetime locations to operational areas, as stated by the press release. It will ensure speedy and simultaneous induction of units and equipment into operational areas during any situations of conflict. It will also facilitate their peacetime movement for Military exercise and movement of units from one station to another.

India is a signatory of the amended Protocol-II on Convention in certain Conventional Weapons, and according to it, marking all minefields is a mandatory requirement. MMME has been designed in such a way that it will operate cross country with a complete load of stores and carry out marking of minefields with minimal time and manpower employment.

The MMME is based on an in-service High Mobility Vehicle that has advanced mechanical and electrical systems which will reduce the timings for the marking of minefields during operations. It will also enhance the operational capability of the Indian Army, the release further added.