NEW DELHI: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the ministry of defence, on Tuesday approved the acquisitions of various weapons systems and platforms for he Indian Army, Navy and Air Force worth ₹13,700 crore. Separately, the ministry placed an order with Bharat Forge Limited worth Rs177.95 crore for the supply of Kalyani M4 armored personnel carrier vehicles, as per a company statement.
According to a government statement, defence minister Rajnath Singh set the acquisition process of various systems in motion with the Acceptance of Necessities for an overall cost of ₹13,700 crore.
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“All these acquisition proposals will be indigenously designed, developed and manufactured. These will include inter-alia platforms and systems designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)," it said.
A person familiar with the development said the clearances included the acquisition of 118 Arjun Mk-1A tanks for the Indian Army for more than ₹8,000 crores. The fast and highly manouvreable Main Battle Tank (MBT) can navigate even the most difficult terrain with ease, according to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) that has developed the tank.
“To meet the Atmanirbhar Bharat goals of the government on time-bound defence procurement process and faster decision making and to systematically work towards reducing the time taken for capital acquisition, the DAC also approved that all capital acquisition contracts (delegated and non-delegated) …. shall be concluded in two years," the defence ministry statement said.
The orders from the ministry comes a day after minister Rajnath Singh told an Indian business meet that the government had earmarked about Rs70,000 crore of the capital allocation of ₹1.35 trillion for the defence sector for procurements from Indian industry. He had also said that the government will bring out a new list of military hardware that India will not source from foreign companies. The current list has 101 items on it.
Speaking at the same event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured industry that the military hardware, which Indian firms were capable of designing and manufacturing in the country, would not be procured from abroad.
The announcements were aimed at encouraging Indian industry to design and develop arms and defence platforms for the Indian armed forces as part of New Delhi’s goal of reducing dependence on imports as well as its plans to cement India’s reputation as a defence manufacturer.
The Kalyani M4 has been described as a “multi-role platform, designed to meet the specific requirements of armed forces for quick mobility in rough terrain and in areas affected by mine and IED (improvised explosive device or bomb) threats."
“It offers best in-class levels of ballistic and blast protection - up to 50kg TNT side blast or IED or roadside bombs due to its innovative design, built on a flat-floor monocoque hull," it said.
IED explosions have claimed hundreds of lives of Indian security personnel in Kashmir where India is battling Pakistan sponsored terrorism as well as in Maoist affected states like Chhattisgarh.
On Monday, Bharat Forge had announced cooperation partnership with global aerospace and technology company, the South African Paramount Group for the manufacture armoured vehicles in India. A pact to this effect was signed at the ongoing International Defence Expo (IDEX 2021) held in Abu Dhabi.
The Paramount Group also manufactures armored carriers – besides other products -- for “outstanding protection, yet versatility in conventional and asymmetric warfare, counter terrorism and peacekeeping missions," according to the company website.
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