In a significant development, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared the procurement of weapons worth Rs 84,560 crore for the Indian defence forces, including Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft for both the Indian navy and the Coast Guard.
To boost surveillance capabilities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Indian navy and Coast Guard proposed a deal to procure 15 C295-based Medium Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMMA), with 9 for the navy and 6 for the Coast Guard, at an estimated cost of Rs 29,000 crore.
While the Tata-Airbus joint venture is executing an order of 56 C295 aircraft from the armed forces, with 16 aircraft to be imported and the remaining to be manufactured in India, the Indian navy and Coast Guard are set to place an additional order of 15 C295 aircraft to convert them into maritime aircraft.
DRDO has undertaken the MMMA project to install indigenously developed radars, sensors, and equipment on these aircraft.
Currently, the Indian navy is operating 12 US-made P8i long-range patrol aircraft, 2 MQ9B drones on lease, and recently received domestically manufactured Drishti 10 Starliner MALE UAVs.
The Indian navy is also set to acquire 15 Sea Guardian drones from the US, as the US State Department recently approved the sale of 31 MQ9B drones to India.
The PLA navy is continuously increasing its presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). According to the Indian navy, 8-10 PLA warships are active in the IOR at any given time, with the potential to increase further.
According to reports, China plans to deploy its carrier battle group in the IOR by 2025, posing a significant challenge for the Indian navy.
While the Indian navy is rapidly expanding its anti-ship missile arsenal with various missiles under development, including LRAShM, NASM SR, NASM MR, and SLCM, along with extending the range of the BrahMos missile, advanced aerial platforms are essential.
These platforms play a crucial role in detecting, tracking, and providing targeting data of enemy warships across the vast area of the Indian Ocean Region before launching these missiles.
To support its missile arsenal, the Indian navy is also expanding its aerial assets to enhance its surveillance capabilities. Fifteen C295-based MMMA aircraft supplement the existing fleet of 12 P8i and MALE/HALE class drones.
