DAC approves ₹1.05 lakh crore indigenous defence projects for Indian Navy, Army, IAF
NEW DELHI , 28/11/2021: Rajnath Singh seen during a meeting of Union Minister with Parliamentry Affairs with Floor leaders of Political Parties at Parliament Annexe, in New Delhi on Sunday .Photo:
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SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA / The Hindu
In its first meeting post Operation Sindoor, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Thursday cleared ten proposals worth ₹1.05 lakh crore for boosting tri-services capabilities through indigenous procurements.
“These procurements will provide higher mobility, effective air defence, better supply chain management and augment the operational preparedness of the Armed Forces,” the Ministry of Defence (MoD) officially stated after the DAC, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded ‘Acceptance of Necessity (AoN)‘ to proposals.
Navy’s ₹44,000 cr mine counter measure vessel project revived
The MoD has revived the Indian Navy’s long-pending project of Mine Counter Measure Vessels (MCMVs), which is worth ₹44,000 crore, after it was scrapped sometime around 2016-17. At that time, the Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) was nominated to manufacture 12 MCMVs that were expected to have capability for locating, classifying, sweeping and neutralising all types of ground, moored and drifting mines.
However, the production of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed advanced minesweepers, suited for channel conditioning, route survey, and sanitisation, will now no longer be on the nomination basis, sources aware of the developments told businessline.
Other Indian Navy proposals cleared are for moored mines, which are stationed at a specific depth in the water by a mooring line attached to an anchor on the seafloor for targeting submarines and surface ships, Super Rapid Gun Mount and Submersible Autonomous Vessels.
The Ministry stated that these “procurements will enable mitigation of potential risks posed to the naval and merchant vessels.”
Army gets ₹30,000 cr nod for DRDO-developed QRSAM air defence system
For further strengthening the layered air defence architecture which offered shield against incoming UAVs and missiles from Pakistan in Ops Sindoor, the DAC gave nod to all-weather Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missiles (QRSAMs) developed by the DRDO for the Indian Army. The cost of QRSAM project, capable of launching 6 canisterised missiles on the move, is to the tune of ₹30,000 crore, sources said.
The DRDO has identified three partners — two defence PSUs, Bharat Dynamics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and private player L& T — for production of the QRSAMs, said sources.
The DAC also gave nod to procurement of Armoured Recovery Vehicles, meant to assist the Indian Army in its operational preparedness, mainly in challenging weather conditions and terrains.
In 2023, the Army had issued a Request for Information (RFI) for 170 ARVs but MoD sources said that it is a fresh case.
IAF to procure 3 I-STAR aircraft for enhanced surveillance and targeting
The Indian Air Force (IAF) too got a go ahead for its proposal for buying 3 Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (I-STAR) aircrafts for monitoring ground activities and precision targeting, sources said. The DRDO will mount airborne systems on aircrafts with the assistance from the industry.
Other programmes cleared are, among others, Integrated Common Inventory Management System for the Tri-Services.
The AoNs were accorded under the Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) category to provide further impetus to indigenous design and development, said the MoD.
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Published on July 3, 2025
