Rajnath approves procurement for services worth Rs 22,800 cr

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved capital procurement for the services amounting to over Rs 22,800 crore, a Defence Ministry statement said on Thursday.

To boost the 'Make in India' initiative, the council has accorded approval for the indigenous design, development and manufacturing of thermal imaging night sights for assault rifles.

"These imaging night sights would be manufactured by the Indian private industry and used by troops deployed on the frontline," the statement said.

The thermal imaging night sights would enable troops to undertake long range accurate engagements in dark and all-weather conditions thereby enhancing the forces' night fighting capabilities.

As a follow up of the successful indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) programme, the council revalidated the acceptance of necessity for the procurement of additional Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) India aircraft.

The mission system and sub-systems for these aircraft would be indigenously designed, developed and integrated onto the main platform by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

These platforms would provide on-board Command and Control and "Early Warning" which would assist the Indian Air Force (IAF) in achieving effective air space dominance in the least possible time, the statement said.

Induction of these systems would increase the extent of coverage along our borders and greatly enhance both the air defence and offense capabilities of the IAF.

The Council also approved procurement of medium-range anti-submarine warfare P8 I aircraft for the Navy. These aircraft would greatly strengthen the Navy's capabilities for maritime coastal surveillance, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface vessel (ASV) strike.

Besides, it approved the procurement of twin-engine heavy helicopters for the Indian Coast Guard. These aircraft would enable the Coast Guard to undertake missions to prevent maritime terrorism, infiltration of terrorists by sea routes as well as search and rescue operations.IANS