DAC approves weapons, systems worth ₹54,000 crore

Under India’s defence procurement rules, the acceptance of necessity (AoN) by the council is the first step of buying military equipment

New Delhi: The Union government’s defence acquisition council (DAC) on Thursday cleared for the purchase of weapons and systems worth ₹54,000 crore, including airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems, torpedoes and tank engines, the defence ministry announced.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh is the heads of the Union government’s defence acquisition council (Hindustan Times)

The DAC, headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh, accorded its acceptance of necessity (AoN) for the military hardware a day after the Cabinet Commitee on Security (CCS) cleared a ₹7,000-crore deal for 307 locally made artillery guns along with towing vehicles, in a boost for self-reliance in the country’s defence manufacturing sector.

Under India’s defence procurement rules, the AoN by the council is the first step of buying military equipment.

“AEW&C systems for the Indian Air Force are capability enhancers which can exponentially increase the combat potential of every other weapon system,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

The IAF inducted its first indigenously developed AEW&C system, mounted on a Brazilian Embraer-145 jet, in February 2017, beefing up its capability to detect enemy aircraft, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. Currently, it operates three Netra AEW&C systems, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The system enables operators on board and on the ground to identify the threats and guide interceptors to neutralise them.

Tanks engines were among the eight capital acquisition proposals cleared by the DAC. “AoN for the procurement of 1350 HP engine was accorded to upgrade the present 1000 HP engine of the army’s T-90 Tanks. This will enhance their battlefield mobility, especially in high-altitude areas,” the statement further read.

Regarding the Varunastra torpedoes, it said the induction of additional quantities of the weapon would enhance the navy’s capability.

The DAC also approved guidelines for reducing the timelines --- at various stages --- of the capital acquisition process “to make it faster, and more effective and efficient.”

Chief of defence staff (CDS) general Anil Chauhan flagged concerns on Wednesday regarding “slow defence procurement procedures in India and their impact on the absorption of new technologies, at a time the government is taking steps to tighten acquisition timelines and simplify weapon-buying processes to boost the military’s capabilities.”

“We have problems like our procurement procedures are so slow that it is difficult to imbibe technology at the rate the armed forces would want to,” he added.

Meanwhile, the defence ministry has declared 2025 as the “year of reforms” and identified nine areas for focused intervention including simpler weapons buying procedures.