Defence Ministry approves military modernisation projects worth Rs 76,000 cr

In a big boost to Make in India goal, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday approved military modernisation projects worth over Rs 76,000 crore.

The Acceptance of Necessity (AoNs) for Capital Acquisition Proposals of the Armed Forces amounting to Rs 76,390 crores were accorded by DAC under Buy Indian and Buy and Make Indian categories, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement,

For the Indian Navy, the DAC accorded approval for the procurement of next generation corvettes (NGCs) at an estimated cost of around Rs 36,000 crore, it said.

These NGCs will be versatile platforms for a variety of roles namely surveillance missions, escort operations, deterrence, Surface Action Group (SAG) operations, search and attack and coastal defence.

The NGCs would be constructed based on a new in-house design of the Indian Navy, using latest technology of ship building, the ministry said in a statement.

The DAC also approved a proposal for the manufacture of Dornier aircraft and Su-30 MKI aero-engines by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with a focus on enhancing indigenisation.

For the Indian Army, the DAC accorded a fresh approval for the procurement of Rough Terrain Fork Lift Trucks (RTFLTs), Bridge Laying Tanks (BLTs), Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles (Wh AFVs) with Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) and Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs) through domestic sources, with an emphasis on indigenous design and development.

In pursuance of the government’s vision for digital transformation in Defence, ‘Digital Coast Guard’ project under ‘Buy (Indian) Category has been approved by the DAC, the ministry further mentioned.

"Under this project, a pan India secure network for digitising of various surface and aviation operations, logistics, finance and HR processes in Coast Guard will be established."