The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has cleared a range of acquisition proposals worth approximately Rs 52,000 crore for the Armed Forces. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the DAC meeting, which took place after a three-month interval. The proposals cleared include the Anti-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Anti-UAV) Electronic Warfare System, named ‘Akash Tarang’, Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) Weapon System, and the latest Verba Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) developed in Russia. Additionally, the DAC approved the procurement of Jet-Based Kamikaze Drone System for the Army, Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial System (NSUAS) for the Navy, and Fixed-Wing Based High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (FW-HAPS) for the Indian Air Force.
The DAC is the key defence body responsible for granting Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) on all big-ticket capital procurements, marking the first step in the defence procurement process. Although obtaining an AoN does not always lead to a final order, it is a crucial step towards enhancing the combat readiness of the forces. The cleared proposals also include the procurement of Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) Systems and Active Protection Systems for Tanks for the Army.
The MPATGM will help counter the adversary’s mechanised threats, while the MRSAM system will provide medium-range air defence against a variety of stand-off aerial threats. Furthermore, the Verba V-SHORADS with multi-spectral sensing will enhance counter-measure resilience and effectiveness of the Army. The ‘Akash Tarang’ system will provide effective anti-UAV protection to the Army Formations, and the Active Protection System will improve the defence mechanism of tanks and enhance their survivability.
The Jet-Based Kamikaze Drones will provide better electronic warfare capability with greater lethality and survivability while being cost-effective. The DAC also granted AoN for the procurement of Multi-Influence Ground Mine (MIGM), Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial System (NSUAS), and the setting up of Land-Based Testing Facility (LBTF) for Electric Propulsion System. The MIGM will deny freedom of manoeuvre to the adversary, while the NSUAS, equipped with advanced sensors, will enhance situational awareness of the Indian Navy.
The LBTF will meet the testing requirements for motors and associated propulsion systems of the Indian Naval assets. For the Indian Air Force, the procurement of FW-HAPS was approved among other proposals, which will carry out persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, telecommunication and remote sensing for the IAF.
