DAC clears ₹1.10 lakh crore worth upgrades for helicopters, radars, jammers and more

New Delhi: The Defence Acquisition Council has cleared a major military procurement package worth around ₹1.10 lakh crore in the presence of the defence minister, Rajnath Singh, covering equipment for the armed forces. The approvals include helicopters, surveillance radars, mine-laying systems, high-mobility vehicles, electronic jammers and warship propulsion systems, with nearly 98 per cent of the procurement expected to come from Indian industry.

The package covers key areas such as troop movement, threat detection, obstacle crossing, secure communication and electronic warfare. It includes a range of systems to meet the different operational needs of the armed forces.

The Indian Army package is designed to enhance mobility and operation in challenging terrain. It includes high mobility vehicles which will be used to transport troops, equipment, and supplies, as well as self-propelled mechanical mine layers.

The armed forces will also get CBRN Recce Vehicles to detect, identify and mark areas contaminated by chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials. This will help personnel identify danger zones and avoid them during operations.

Another part of the package is aimed at keeping troops moving even when terrain becomes a major obstacle. Trawl Tanks and the Sarvatra Bridge System will help fighting formations cross obstacles such as water bodies and difficult ground during military operations.

In addition, it consists of light helicopters whose role will be for use in the Army and Indian Air Force. The advantage of these helicopters is their capability to work on different terrains. This will assist them in reaching places that cannot be reached easily through roads.

In the naval sector, the focus will be on enhancing surveillance capability and decreasing the reliance on foreign propulsion systems. The Navy will be provided with Arudhra radars to replace the present air-route surveillance radars that are installed in naval air stations.

There will be another push from the Navy to develop marine gas turbines in India, and then buy them. These turbines power warships, and developing them domestically could reduce the Navy’s dependence on foreign suppliers.

For the Air Force, the package moves beyond aircraft platforms and focuses partly on the systems that help them operate in a modern electronic battlefield. The ground-based multi-purpose jammer will be used to interfere with adversary radar systems, adding an electronic warfare layer to India’s air operations.

The Air Force will replace paper-based identity cards, passes and permits with radio frequency identification-based smart cards under the defence forces secure access card system.

The latest approvals therefore combine immediate operational requirements with longer-term efforts to build critical capabilities within the country. From battlefield mobility and obstacle crossing to radar surveillance, electronic warfare and warship propulsion, the package covers several layers of India’s military preparedness.