The Defence Ministry approved the procurement of military equipment worth ₹22,800 crore which includes indigenous systems to boost the Make in India project. 

The decision was taken by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday, November 28.

Among the indigenous rifles are thermal imaging night sights for assault rifles which increase shooting accuracy in the dark. The rifles will be manufactured by the Indian private industry for the troops deployed on the frontline.

The ministry said that as an addition to the successful indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) programme, the Council has again accepted the necessity for the procurement of additional Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) India aircraft.

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

These platforms would provide onboard Command & Control and ‘Early Warning’ which would help the Indian Air Force (IAF) in an effective air space dominance in the minimum possible time.

Induction of these systems would increase the area of coverage along our borders and enhance both the Air Defence and Offensive capabilities of the IAF.

The DAC also approved the 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.

The DAC approved the procurement of Twin-Engine Heavy Helicopters (TEHH) 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 & Rescue operations.

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