New Delhi has given in-principle approval for one of its largest recent arms procurement packages, with 82% of the planned spending earmarked for Indian industry.
India has approved a broad new round of defence procurement worth about Rs2.12tn, or $22.29bn, in one of its largest recent pushes to modernise equipment across the army, navy and air force. The Defence Acquisition Council gave the in-principle green light after a meeting on 26 October chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, though the authorisation is still an administrative step rather than a final contract award. The Ministry of Defence said about 82% of the value of the planned purchases would come from Indian industry, underscoring New Delhi’s drive to strengthen domestic manufacturing in the arms sector.
The Army’s share of the approvals includes high-mobility vehicles, self-propelled tracked gun systems, light multi-role helicopters, very short-range air-defence systems and counter-drone capabilities. The ministry said the tracked artillery system is meant to improve the mobility and firepower of mechanised units, while the response system for gunfire is intended to give commanders quicker situational awareness. Other planned systems include long-range surveillance drones, an integrated surveillance and strike platform and a long-range kamikaze drone capability, all aimed at sharpening reconnaissance and targeting.
The light multi-role helicopter programme is designed for both the Army and the Air Force and would be used for reconnaissance, surveillance, combat, search and rescue, troop movement and humanitarian relief. For the Navy, the approvals include an Active Offboard Decoy System to strengthen defences against anti-ship missiles, alongside other platforms that are expected to be built in India. The Air Force approvals cover helicopters, air-defence systems, weapons and mobile X-band Doppler weather radar systems, which the ministry said would provide high-resolution weather data in forward areas.
The latest clearance follows a string of earlier approvals this year. In July, the council backed proposals worth about Rs520bn, and in March it cleared procurement estimated at Rs2.38tn, including air-defence tracked systems, armour-piercing tank ammunition, high-capacity radio relays, Dhanush gun systems and runway-independent aerial surveillance systems. Taken together, the decisions point to a sustained effort by India to accelerate military modernisation while pushing more of the work to local suppliers.
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