Defence Acquisition Council approves proposals worth ₹7,800 crore

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₹7,800 crore to enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The ministry said that all procurements will be made from indigenous sources only.

“To enhance the efficiency of the Indian Air Force, the DAC has granted AoN for procurement and installation of Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite on Mi-17 V5 helicopters under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category which will enhance better survivability of helicopters," it added. The EW Suite will be procured from Bharat Electronics (BEL).

The DAC has also accorded acceptance of necessity (AoN) for procurement of ground-based autonomous system for mechanised infantry and armoured regiments which will enable various operations like unmanned surveillance, logistic delivery of ammunition, fuel & spares and casualty evacuation in the battlefield. "Proposals for procurement of 7.62x51 mm Light Machine Gun (LMG) and Bridge Laying Tank (BLT) have also been given go ahead by the DAC.

While induction of LMG will enhance fighting capabilities of infantry forces, the induction of BLT will result in faster movement of mechanised forces," the ministry said. The AoN for procurement of ruggedised laptops and tablets for the Indian Army under project shakti has also been accorded.

All these procurements will be sourced from Indigenous vendors only, it added. To enhance the operational capability of the MH-60R helicopters of the Indian Navy, the DAC has accorded AoN for procurement of weapons for the same.