Defense Ministry Approves Proposals For Equipment For Army And Navy Worth More Than $500 Million

January 11, 2023

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Defense Ministry Approves Proposals For Equipment For Army And Navy Worth More Than $500 Million — Image credit : Wikipedia

The DAC also agreed to buy the VSHORAD (IR Homing) missile system, which was designed and built by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The DAC has also given the go-ahead to buy the Brahmos Launcher and Fire Control System (FCS) for the Shivalik class of ships and the Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs) of the Indian Navy.

In a statement released on Tuesday, January 10, the Indian Ministry of Defense said that they had approved three capital acquisition proposals for the Indian Army and Navy totaling nearly $526 million (Rs. 4,300 crores). This happened after a meeting of the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC), which was led by the country’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. Two proposals from the Indian Army and one from the Navy were given the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN).

The three proposals fall under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category. This is a category for buying products from an Indian vendor that have been designed, developed, and made in India with at least 50% Indigenous Content (IC).

In a statement, the defence ministry said, “The DAC gave AoN for procurement of HELINA Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, launchers, and other support equipment that will be built into the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH).”

Also, they said that getting anti-tank guided missiles is an important part of arming ALHs in order to “counter enemy threats.” Notably, HELINA is said to be one of the most advanced anti-tank weapons in the world, and the Indian defence ministry said that putting it into use will improve the offensive capabilities of the Indian Army.

The DAC also agreed to buy the VSHORAD (IR Homing) missile system, which was designed and built by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is said to be “man-portable” and strong, and its system can be set up quickly so it can be used quickly on both rough land and at sea.

In the statement, it was also said that the country would improve its Air Defense (AD) capabilities, especially in light of recent events along India’s northern borders.

The DAC has also given the go-ahead to buy the Brahmos Launcher and Fire Control System (FCS) for the Shivalik class of ships and the Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs) of the Indian Navy. The defence ministry said that bringing these ships into service would make them better able to carry out maritime strike operations, such as stopping and destroying enemy warships and merchant ships.