‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’: DAC clears capital acquisition proposals to boost capabilities of Armed Forces, Coast Guard

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded approval for ‘Acceptance of Necessity’ (AoNs) for various capital acquisition proposals amounting to Rs 84,560 crore.
According to an official release from the Ministry of Defence, “The true spirit of ‘Aatmanirbharta’, the approvals accorded on February 16, 2024, lay special emphasis on the procurement of various equipment from Indian vendors.”
The DAC has accorded AoN under the Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) (IDDM) category for the procurement of a new generation of anti-tank mines with seismic sensors and the provision of remote deactivation with additional safety features.
To enhance operational efficiency and domination in the tactical battle area for engaging targets that are beyond the visual line of sight of the manned forces, the AoN under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category has been accorded for the procurement of the canister-launched anti-armour loader munition system.
Further, to strengthen the Air Defence Systems, especially the capabilities to detect slow, small and low-flying targets, as well as surveillance, detection & tracking of different targets, the AoN has been accorded the procurement of Air Defence Tactical Control Radar under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category.
The AoN for procurement of Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance and Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, through the Buy and Make category, has been granted by the DAC for strengthening the surveillance and interdiction capabilities of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) over the country’s vast maritime area.
Also, to keep the Indian Naval Ships one step ahead of the threats posed by the adversaries, the AoN under the Buy (Indian) category has been accorded for the procurement of Active Towed Array Sonar having capabilities to operate at low frequencies and various depths for long range detections of adversary submarines.
The AoN has also been accorded for the procurement of heavy-weight torpedoes to enhance the attacking capabilities of Kalvari Class submarines.
The AoN for sustainment support through follow-on support (FOS) and repair-replenishment support through follow-on supply support (FOSS) for 24 MH60R aircraft under the Foreign Military Sale route with the US Government has also been accorded.
The DAC accorded AoN for the procurement of flight refueler aircraft to enhance the operational capabilities and reach of the Indian Air Force.
The AoN under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category for procurement of software-defined radios for the ICG has also been granted.
This will fulfil the requirement of the ICG to have high-speed communication with secure networking capability for seamless information exchange between the ICG and the Indian Navy units.
To create a friendly defence start-up ecosystem and promote procurement of advanced technologies from start-ups and MSMEs developed under the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and Technology Development Fund schemes, the DAC has approved amendments in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 w.r.t. benchmarking and cost computation, payment schedule, procurement quantity, etc.
This will provide the much-needed incentive along with a supportive business environment for start-ups and MSMEs under the iDEX and TDF schemes, truly in the spirit of ‘Ease of Doing Business’