Defence Ministry approves acquisition of military equipment worth Rs 28,000 crore

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the procurement of military weapons and equipment worth Rs 28,000 crore.

New Delhi: The defence ministry has approved the procurement of military weapons and equipment worth Rs 28,000 crore, official sources said.

In a statement, the defence ministry said the DAC approved acquisition proposals for various weapons, platforms and equipment required by the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force at an approximate cost of Rs 28,000 crore.

"Six of the seven proposals, that is, Rs 27,000 crore out of Rs 28,000 crore for which AoNs (Acceptance of Necessity) were granted will be sourced from the Indian industry to give a boost to the 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiatives," the ministry statement read.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, cleared the procurement proposals on Thursday.

The proposals approved by the DAC also include procurement of 11 next-generation offshore patrol vessels for the Indian Navy at a cost of Rs 9,000 cr, the sources said, adding another proposal to acquire 38 naval versions of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile was also cleared.

It includes six airborne warning and control system aircraft for the Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force (IAF) currently has three Phalcon airborne warning and control system aircraft (AWACS). Under the proposal approved by the DAC, six AWACS will be acquired at a cost of Rs 10,990 crore and the project will be implemented by the DRDO.

The acquisition proposals approved also include a batch of modular bridges for the Indian Army.