A meeting of the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC), held under the chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, granted acceptance of need (AoN) for equity acquisition proposals worth around Rs 7,800 crore on 24 August 2023. To enhance the efficiency of the Indian Air Force, DAC has granted AoN the procurement and installation of Electronic Warfare (EW) suite on Mi-17 V5 helicopters in the Buy category (Indian-IDDM) which will enhance the best helicopter survival. The EW Suite will be purchased by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
The DAC also granted AoN the purchase of a ground-based autonomous system for mechanized infantry and armored regiments that will enable various operations such as unmanned surveillance, logistic delivery of ammunition, fuel and spare parts, and casualty evacuation on the battlefield.
Proposals to purchase a 7.62x51mm light machine gun (LMG) and a bridge-laying tank (BLT) were also approved by the DAC. While the introduction of LMGs will improve the combat capabilities of infantry forces, the introduction of the BLT will result in faster movement of mechanized forces. The AoN has also been granted for the procurement of ruggedized laptops and tablets for the Indian Army under the Shakti project. All of these supplies will only come from indigenous suppliers.
To enhance the operational capability of the Indian Navy’s MH-60R helicopters, the DAC has granted arms procurement for the Indian Navy to AoN.
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ABB/Expert