On 29th July 2024, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD), Government of India (GoI) has approved various capital acquisition proposals to enhance the capabilities of the Indian Army(IA) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
- The DAC has accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of the Advanced Land Navigation System (ALNS) for Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) for Indian Army and 22 Interceptor Boats(IB) for Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
About ALNS MkII:
i.It is a cutting-edge navigational system designed to improve the operational efficiency of AFVs of Indian Army. It is a spoof proof system with high levels of encryption.
ii.The system is compatible with various satellite navigation systems such as: Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System(IRNSS) which is also known as NAVigation using Indian Constellation (NavIC) of India, Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS).
iii.The system is integrated with Defence Series Maps, which provides accuracy in navigation for AFVs.
- Such feature is important for the precise movement and positioning of armored units during combat and reconnaissance.
iv.The system is procured from Chennai (Tamil Nadu (TN))-based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) under the Buy Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufacturing (IDDM) category.
About Interceptor Boats(IB):
i.These boats are equipped with the latest state-of-the –art system, designed specifically to perform quick interceptions and shallow water operations in territorial waters.
ii.These new interceptor boats will play a significant role in various operations such as: search and rescue missions and medical evacuations.
DAC approved amendment to MQ-9B UAV Deal with the US
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) under the chairmanship of Rajnath Singh has reviewed and approved the amendments to the deal for 31 MQ-9B, High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Vehicles (UAVs) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) of the United States of America (USA).
- These amendments are approved within the scope of AoN that was granted for the MQ-9B deal and also these amendments are related to the indigenous content and related aspects.
Key Points:
i.DAC has also approved the proposal regarding the scheduled refit of aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya later this year.
ii.Government of India (GoI) has planned to deploy MQ-9B drones at 4 places, including Indian Naval Ship (INS) Rajaji near Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN) and Porbandar, in Gujarat by Indian Navy.
- While, other two services will be jointly deployed at two bases in Sarsawa and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh (UP) at Air Force bases due to long runway requirements.
About MQ-9B Deal:
i.As per the agreement, the GoI will procure 31 MQ-9B drones which will be manufactured by the USA-based GA-ASI.
- Also, General Atomics will establish a Global Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India.
- The estimated cost of the deal is around USD 3.99 billion (Rs 33,060 crore).
ii.These 31 drones will be utilised by the IA, Indian Navy(IN) and the Indian Air Force(IAF).
- The IN will get 15 Sea Guardian drones and the IA and the IAF will get 8 each of the land version of the drones i.e. Sky Guardian.
About MQ-9B:
i.MQ-9B Predator is a variant of the MQ-9 “Reaper”. It is available in two variants i.e. Sky Guardian and Sea Guardian.
- The Sea Guardian has been in operation since 2020.
ii.It is a remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) used for offensive missions, reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence operations.
iii.These drones are designed for extended flight durations at altitudes exceeding 4,000 feet (ft.), with a maximum endurance of 40 hours.
iv.It can carry laser-guided 4 Hellfire missiles and 450 kilogram(kg) bombs.
Background:
The procurement of 31 MQ-9B drones was 1st announced during the state visit of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi in the USA in June 2023.
- In December 2023, DAC accorded the AoN for the acquisition of the MQ-9B drones under the foreign military sale route.
MoD Signed MoU with NSE to Facilitate Capital Market Access to MSMEs
On 29th July 2024, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Stock Exchange (NSE) to facilitate capital market access to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
- Aim: To provide MSMEs in the defence sector to raise productive capital for their growth plan in an efficient and transparent manner through ‘NSE Emerge’ platform of NSE.
- The platform offers new and easy options for raising equity capital from various set of investors.
Key Signatories: The MoU was signed by Anurag Bajpai, Additional Secretary, Department of Defence Production (DDP), MoD and Ashish Kumar, Managing Director (MD), NSE in the presence of Gridhar Aramane, Secretary, MoD.
Key Points:
i.The MoU will be operationalised for a period of 5 years.
- During that period, DDP and NSE will jointly conduct a vast awareness drive through seminars, MSME camps, knowledge sessions, road shows and workshops to guide corporates engaged with MoD for fund raising on NSE Emerge platform.
ii.NSE will provide assistance to MSMEs in connecting with intermediaries like: merchant bankers, registrar, transfer agent, depositories, among others.
iii.MoU will help to MSMEs and startups in defence sector to scale up their business operations, explore new markets and fund their Research and Development (R&D) activities.
About Defence Acquisition Council (DAC):
It is the highest decision-making body in the MoD which decides on new policies and capital acquisitions for India Defence services (Army, Navy, and Air Force) and the India Coast Guard(ICG).
Chairman- Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of Defence
Established-2001
Ministry of Defence (MoD):
Union Minister- Rajnath Singh(Lok Sabha constituency- Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh(UP))
Minister of State (MoS)- Sanjay Seth( Lok Sabha constituency- Ranchi, Jharkhand)
