India to acquire Rs 76,390 crore worth of military equipment

The defence ministry has approved the procurement of military equipment and platforms worth Rs 76,390 crores from domestic industries. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Union Minister Rajnath Singh approved the procurement proposals, said an official statement.

The ministry said the new set of approvals is in line with the government's vision for digital transformation in defence, the 'Digital Coast Guard' project under 'Buy' (Indian) category. "Under this project, a pan-India secure network for digitising various surface and aviation operations, logistics, finance and HR processes in Coast Guard will be established".

The Indian Navy will be getting the next generation corvettes (NGCs) at an estimated cost of around Rs 36,000 crore. The NGCs are versatile platforms for many roles including surveillance missions, escort operations, deterrence, Surface Action Group (SAG) operations, search and attack, and coastal defence. It will be constructed based on a new in-house design of the Indian Navy, using the latest technology in shipbuilding.

A proposal for the manufacture of Dornier aircraft and Su-30 MKI aero-engines by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was also approved by the DAC with a focus on enhancing indigenisation.

The Indian Army will be getting Rough Terrain Fork Lift Trucks (RTFLTs), Bridge Laying Tanks (BLTs), Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles (Wh AFVs) with Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs), and Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs). Since they are all developed by domestic sources, there is an emphasis on indigenous design.