On 16th February 2024, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD), gave the approval for the Acceptance of Necessity (AoNs) for various capital acquisition proposals amounting to Rs 84,560 crore.
- The move aims to boost the capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
Details of AoN under Buy (Indian-IDDM):
The DAC has accorded AoN under the Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured category or Buy (Indian-IDDM) category for procurement of:
i.New Generation Anti-Tank Mines with seismic sensors and remote deactivation capabilities, these mines offer additional safety features.
ii.Canister Launched Anti-Armour Loiter Munition System: This can engage targets beyond Visual Line of Sight by the Mechanised Forces. This will enhance the operational efficiency in the Tactical Battle Area.
iii.Air Defence Tactical Control Radar: This will improve the capabilities to detect slow, small and low-flying targets and to surveil, detect and track different targets.
iv.Software-Defined Radios: This will offer high-speed communication platform to seamlessly exchange information between the ICG and the Indian Navy units.
Other AoNs:
i.The DAC has also accorded AoN under the Buy (Indian) category for the procurement of
- Active Towed Array Sonar which can operate at low frequencies and various depths for long-range detections of adversary submarines.
- Heavy Weight Torpedoes which has the capacity to attack Kalvari Class submarines.
ii.DAC also approved 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 Government of the United States of America (USA).
iii.DAC accorded AoN for procurement of Flight Refueller Aircraft which extends the operational capabilities and reach of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
iv.DAC has approved amendments in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, to promote the procurement of advanced technologies from Start-Ups and Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
- These entities are developed under the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and Technology Development Fund (TDF) schemes.
v.DAC also granted AoN for procurement of Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance and Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, through Buy and Make category. This aims to strengthen the surveillance and interdiction capabilities of the Indian Navy (IN) and ICG over India’s vast maritime area.
Recent Related News:
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence(MoD), granted approval for Acceptance of Necessity (AoNs) for diverse Capital Acquisition Proposals, worth Rs 2.23 lakh crore to enhance the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces.
About Defence Acquisition Council (DAC):
The DAC is the highest decision-making body in the Defence Ministry which decides on new policies and capital acquisitions for the Indian Defence services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the Indian Coast Guard.
Chairman – Union Minister of Defence (Rajnath Singh)
Established in – 2001
