An Indian advanced towed-gun system during trials. (Photo: DRDO)
New Delhi: The defence minister, Rajnath Singh-headed Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) gave the acceptance of necessity (AoN) for procurement of defence platforms, including LCA Tejas MK1A, light combat helicopters, towed guns among others, worth ₹2.23 lakh crore. Out of the total allocation, 98 per cent of it, which stands at ₹2.20 lakh crore, will be sourced from domestic industries, the defence ministry said in a release on Thursday.
Allocation for the Indian Army
For the Indian Army, the DAC earmarked ₹10,000 of the allocation to procure 400 towed-gun systems (TGS). The procurement of these 155mm artillery guns will replace the famed Indian Field Gun, which had been in service for several decades.
Apart from this, the DA also gave the go-ahead for the acquisition of two types of anti-tank ammunition – ADM (area-denial munition) Type-2 and Type-3. These ammunition can destroy enemy tanks and armoured personnel carriers.
The DAC’s AoN also included 155mm “nubless” projectiles for use in 155mm artillery guns with the aim to enhance lethality and safety of the projectiles. (In modern artillery shells where the bourrelet is replaced by four projections and capped by a “nub” (nose cone), they are called nubbed projectiles. A nubless projectile is an artillery shell that does not have a nose cone. This makes the projectile more aerodynamic and accurate, and it also reduces the risk of fragmentation upon impact. Nubless projectiles are typically used in 155mm artillery guns.)
Speaking to reporters, an official said all these equipment for the Army will be procured under the “Buy (Indian- Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)” or “Buy-IDDM” category.
The AoN for procurement and integration of automatic target tracker (ATT) and digital basaltic computer (DBC) for the Russian-origin T-90 “Bhishma” tanks have also been accorded to maintain combat edge of the tank over enemy armour.
For the Indian Air Force
For the Indian Air Force, the DAC granted AoN for 97 additional light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas MK1A, 156 Prachand light combat helicopters (LCH). These aircraft will cost ₹1.20 lakh crore.
The fighters and the attack helicopter will be procured from state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category.
The DAC also gave nod to the Air Force for the upgradation of its Russian-origin fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI. The fighter will be updated indigenously at HAL.
For the Indian Navy
For the Indian Navy, the DAC granted tha AoN to acquire medium range anti-ship missiles (MRAShM) for surface platforms under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category.
The MRAShM is planned as a lightweight surface-to-surface missile, which will be the mainstay offensive weapon onboard the Navy’s warships.
