In a big transfer to boost the nation’s defence capabilities, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, permitted the Acceptance of Necessity (AoNs) for varied Capital Acquisition Proposals amounting to Rs 2.23 lakh crore. Of this quantity, acquisitions price Rs 2.20 lakh crore, or 98% of the whole, might be sourced from home industries, aligning with India’s dedication to ‘Aatmanirbharta’ or self-reliance, in accordance with an official assertion by the Ministry of Defence.
The DAC accorded preliminary approval for the procurement of a further batch of 97 Tejas gentle fight plane and roughly 150 Prachand helicopters, information company PTI reported official sources as informing.
The Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) is a proper step within the procurement technique of the Indian defence system. On this step, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by the Defence Minister, approves the need to amass sure gear, weapons, or programs for the armed forces.
The committee has granted its nod for the procurement of Mild Fight Helicopter (LCH) Prachand and Mild Fight Plane (LCA) Tejas Mk 1A from Hindustan Aeronautics Restricted (HAL) below the Purchase (Indian-IDDM) class. Moreover, the DAC permitted the upgradation of Su-30 MKI Plane indigenously from HAL, the assertion knowledgeable with out specifying the variety of plane to be procured.
In response to the Centre, acquisition from home defence industries will cut back dependability “on international Unique Gear Producers (OEMs) considerably”.
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DAC Amends Defence Acquisition Process (DAP) 2020 For Home Procurement
To additional advance indigenisation, the DAC amended the Defence Acquisition Process (DAP) 2020. “It has been determined that henceforth, in all classes of procurement instances, minimal of fifty% of indigenous content material shall be within the type of materials, parts & software program which are manufactured in India. For the aim of calculation of Indigenous content material, value of Annual Upkeep Contract (AMC)/Complete Upkeep Contract (CMC)/After Sale Service shall be excluded,” the assertion knowledgeable.
The AoN approvals cowl a variety of essential acquisitions, together with two forms of Anti-tank Munitions, Space Denial Munition (ADM) Sort-2 and Sort-3, designed to neutralise Tanks, Armoured personnel carriers, and enemy personnel. The Indian Military will even see an improve in its artillery forces with the procurement of a state-of-the-art Towed Gun System (TGS) to interchange the Indian Area Gun (IFG), which has accomplished its service life, the assertion knowledgeable.
“The AoN was additionally accorded for 155 mm Nubless projectile to be used in 155 mm Artillery weapons which is able to improve lethality and security of the projectiles. All these gear of the Indian Military might be procured below Purchase (Indian-IDDM) class,” it added.
For the Indian Navy, the DAC accorded AoN for the procurement of Medium Vary Anti-Ship Missiles (MRAShM) for floor platforms below the Purchase (Indian-IDDM) class. “The MRAShM is envisaged as a light-weight Floor-to-Floor Missile which might be a major offensive weapon onboard Indian Naval Ships,” the defence ministry said.
The DAC additional permitted AoNs for the procurement and integration of Automated Goal Tracker (ATT) and Digital Basaltic Pc (DBC) for T-90 Tanks, contributing to sustaining the fight fringe of T-90 tanks over adversary platforms.
The DAC’s determination additionally seeks to encourage start-ups and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) participation within the defence ecosystem. For procurement instances with AoN value as much as Rs 300 crore, registered MSMEs and recognised start-ups might be thought of for issuing Request for Proposal (RFP) with out monetary parameter stipulations. This consideration could be prolonged, with the approval of the Defence Procurement Board (DPB), for AoN prices as much as Rs 500 crore on a case-to-case foundation, the defence ministry knowledgeable.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to X and posted, “The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) immediately permitted capital acquisition proposals price Rs 2.23 lakh crore to boost the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces. Procurement of Mild Fight Helicopters & Mild Fight Plane Mk 1A from HAL has been cleared. Completely happy to notice that 98 % of those platforms/equipments to be sourced from the home industries. This determination will present additional increase to ‘Make in India’ and strengthen self-reliance in Defence sector.”
About Tejas Mk-1A Mild Fight Plane, Prachand Mild Fight Helicopter
The Tejas Mk-1A Mild Fight Plane, developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Restricted (HAL), is a fourth-generation fighter with superior operational options, together with an energetic electronically-scanned array radar and air-to-air refuelling functionality. It obtained the ultimate operational clearance for induction into the Indian Air Pressure as a fully-weaponised fighter jet in February 2019.
The Prachand Mild Fight Helicopter, a 5.8-tonne twin-engine helicopter designed for high-altitude deployment, was inducted into the IAF and the Military final yr. Developed by HAL, it has a service ceiling of round 21,000 ft. The brand new procurement of Prachand choppers goals to diversify the IAF’s assault helicopter fleet, which at the moment contains the HAL Rudra, US-made Apaches, and Russian Mi-35s.