Defence Ministry clears 'Make-in-India' military hardware worth Rs. 7,965 cr

India’s defence acquisition council (DAC) has cleared the purchase of locally-produced military hardware worth ₹7,965 crore including light utility helicopters (LUH) for the army and the Indian Air Force, fire control systems for the navy, super rapid gun mounts (SRGM) for warships and the upgrade of Dornier aircraft for coastal surveillance, the defence ministry said. DAC, headed by the defence minister Rajnath Singh, accorded its acceptance of necessity (AoN) for 12 LUHs from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Lynx U2 fire control system from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to boost the navy’s detection, tracking and engagement capabilities and indigenous SRGMs from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) instead of imported guns to enable warships to engage fast manoeuvring targets, officials said. Watch this report for more.