New Delhi: The Defence Ministry of India has approved nine capital acquisition proposals worth Rs 45,000 crore, including the procurement of 12 Su-30MKI fighter jets. The decision was taken during a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.
All of the procurements will be made from Indian vendors under the Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDMM)/Buy (Indian) category. This will give a substantial boost to the Indian defence industry towards achieving the goal of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
The procurement of 12 Su-30MKI aircraft will be made from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The Su-30MKI is a twin-engine, multirole fighter aircraft that is considered to be one of the most advanced in the world.
The other procurements approved by the DAC include:
* Light Armoured Multipurpose Vehicles (LAMV) and Integrated Surveillance and Targeting System (ISAT-S) for Mechanised Forces
* High Mobility Vehicle (HMV) Gun Towing Vehicles for Artillery Guns and Radars
* Next Generation Survey Vessels for the Indian Navy
* Avionic upgradation of Dornier Aircraft for the Indian Air Force
* Dhruvastra Short Range Air-to-Surface Missile for indigenously built ALH Mk-IV Helicopters
The Defence Minister stated that it is time to upgrade the ambitions towards indigenisation. He said that instead of aiming for a 50% indigenous content threshold for IDDM projects, the country should aim for a minimum of 60-65% indigenous content.
The Defence Minister directed the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, Defence Secretary, and DG (Acquisition) to work towards increasing the minimum indigenous content threshold in consultation with the Indian industry.
This is a significant step towards achieving the goal of Aatmanirbhar Bharat in the defence sector. The procurement of high-end military equipment from Indian vendors will help to boost the domestic defence industry and create jobs.