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Defence Procurement
With drones and other disruptive technologies impacting the dynamics of warfare as demonstrated in recent conflicts, the Army Air Defence has drawn a roadmap to boost its capabilities through replacement of two of its old platforms, induction of new fragmentation ammunition for existing air defence guns, and deployment of more potent radars. Besides, the army is also hoping to place a contract for the indigenously developed Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system within 4-5 months, a top official said on Friday. The Corps of Army Air Defence holds a large variety of missile systems and guns in its inventory such as the L70, Zu-23mm, Schilka, Tanguska and Osa-AK missile system. "The fashion of guns is back. The army sustained them for good reason and these guns can be effectively used with fragmentation ammunition," Director General of Army Air Defence (AAD), Lt Gen Sumer Ivan D'Cunha, said. Asserting the need for modernisation with an emphasis on 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat',
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart, Pete Hegseth, agreed on Thursday to work on a 10-year comprehensive framework to bolster the India-US defence partnership, especially in the spheres of intelligence, logistics, operational and industrial engagement. Singh said Hegseth reviewed various aspects of the bilateral defence ties in a phone conversation that came less than a week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned trip to Washington. It was Singh's first phone conversation with Hegseth after the latter was confirmed as the US defence secretary on January 25. An Indian readout of the conversation said India and the United States have agreed to work together to draft a comprehensive framework on defence cooperation, aimed at structuring the bilateral collaboration for the 2025-2035 period. It said Singh and Hegseth reviewed the extensive India-US defence cooperation activities, covering "multiple domains in land, air, maritime and space". In a post on X
The defence ministry on Thursday signed a contract with a private firm to procure six Air Cushion Vehicles for the Indian Coast Guard at a total cost of Rs 387.44 crore. These amphibious vessels, also called 'Hovercrafts', will be procured under the Buy (Indian) category, the ministry said in a statement. The Ministry of Defence "signed a contract with Chowgule & Company Pvt. Ltd., Goa for procurement of six Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs) for the Indian Coast Guard at a total cost of Rs 387.44 crore," it said. These ACVs will be manufactured in India for the "first time in line with the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' vision of the government, representing a pivotal step in the nation's shipping landscape," it said. The project will also significantly enhance the technical expertise and growth of indigenous ancillary, especially the MSME sector. "The procurement is aimed at boosting the Indian Coast Guard's capability and reinforces the increased focus towards maritime security," the statement
The defence ministry on Monday approved procurement of navigation system for armoured fighting vehicles of the Indian Army and 22 interceptor boats for the Coast Guard. The acquisition proposals were cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) that was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The cost of the procurement of the navigation system and the interceptor boats is not immediately known. The DAC deliberated on a number of other capital acquisition proposals, the defence ministry said without elaborating. "Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) was accorded to the procurement of Advanced Land Navigation System (ALNS) for Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) of the Indian Army. The system is spoof-proof with high levels of encryption," it said. It said the ALNS Mk-II is compatible with Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, NAVigation using Indian Constellation in addition to Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System. The ministry said ALNS Mk-
The Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) on Tuesday announced it has extended a USD 23.37 million (about Rs 194 crore) line of credit to the government of Cooperative Republic of Guyana for the procurement of two aircraft from India for the South American country's defence forces. An agreement was signed on March 15 between Guyana's senior minister in the office of the President with responsibility for finance and the public service, Ashni K Singh, and the policy bank's deputy general manager Sanjay Lamba in the presence of High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Amit Telang. With this line of credit (LOC), the bank has 292 LOC in place now, covering 62 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, CIS, and Oceania, with credit commitments of around USD 2.72 billion available for financing exports from India.
The Ministry of Defence on Wednesday signed a contract with Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL) for procurement of 693 armament upgrades of infantry combat vehicle BMP2, according to an official statement "This upgrade includes night enablement, gunner main sight, commander panoramic sight and fire control system (FCS) with automatic target tracker under Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) Category," the statement said. The AVNL has developed an "indigenised solution for providing existing BMP 2/2K with night fighting capabilities and FCS based on the integration of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Chennai-developed sight and FCS," it said. The ministry signed the contract with AVNL "for the procurement of 693 Armament Upgrades of Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP2 to BMP2M". The AVNL will produce the "armament upgrades with equipment and sub-systems sourced from indigenous manufacturers", the ministry
India on Thursday accorded an initial approval to procure an additional batch of 97 Tejas light combat aircraft and around 150 Prachand helicopters to boost the overall combat capability of the armed forces, official sources said. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also cleared a proposal of the Indian Air Force to upgrade its Su-30 fighter fleet, the sources said. It is learnt that mega procurement projects and the Su-30 upgrade programme are expected to cost the exchequer Rs 1.3 lakh crore. The defence ministry is expected to provide the details of the projects cleared by the DAC soon.
The Defence Ministry on Friday cleared procurement of various weapons systems and platforms including Dhruvastra short range air-to-surface missile and 12 Su-30 MKI fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 45,000 crore. A total of nine procurement proposals were approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, officials said. "All these procurements will be made from Indian vendors under Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDMM)/Buy (Indian) category which will give substantial boost to the Indian defence Industry towards achieving the goal of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'," the defence ministry said. To enhance protection, mobility, attack capability and increase survivability of mechanised forces, the DAC accorded the approval for procurement of Light Armoured Multipurpose Vehicles (LAMV) and Integrated Surveillance and Targeting System (ISAT-S), the ministry said in a statement. The DAC cleared also cleared the procurement
The expenditure on defence procurement from foreign sources has reduced from 46 per cent of the overall expenditure in 2018-19 to 36.7 per cent as per data till December last, according to government data. Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt, replying to a question in Rajya Sabha on Monday, listed 155mm Artillery Gun system 'Dhanush'', Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, surface-to air missile system 'Akash', main battle tank 'Arjun', T-90 tank, T-72 tank and Cheetah helicopter as indigenous key defence projects. "The expenditure on defence procurement from foreign sources has reduced from 46 per cent of overall expenditure in 2018-19 to 36.7 per cent as per data till December, 2022," he said on Monday. Last month, Bhatt said Kalashnikov AK-203 rifles for Indian armed forces were under manufacturing and testing stage at an Indo-Russian joint venture at Korwa in Uttar Pradesh. Bhatt said the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Ltd (IRRPL) has established all facilities to commence production
In a significant announcement, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said the government will spend 75 per cent of the total defence capital outlay for procurement from domestic defence manufacturers from 2023-24. The decision will mean setting aside of around Rs 100,000 crore for procurement of military platforms and equipment from the Indian manufacturers, he said. Singh made the announcement at an event where several agreements and technology transfer agreements were firmed up among large number of defence companies which participated in Aero India 2023. "It is a very significant decision which will further strengthen the domestic defence manufacturing sector," Singh said. He also said that Aero India 2023 has shown that the Indian defence sector is ready to march ahead along with top global defence companies. The MoUs and technology transfer agreements signed during Aero India will facilitate a new beginning for defence manufacturing in India, he said. A new chapter in
Public procurement portal Government eMarketplace projects defence procurement made through it to double to Rs 30,000 crore during the current financial year, a top official said here on Friday. According to GeM Chief Executive Officer P K Singh, the procurement agency expects to garner about Rs 2 lakh crore sales in the year across the country. The GeM portal launched by the Centre in 2016 is for online purchase of goods and services by all central government ministries and departments. "Defence sector has been the largest procurer through the portal since inception. Last year, the defence procurement was around Rs 15,000 crore. The target is to double it to Rs 30,000 crore this year," he told reporters here. "Apart from weaponry, everything for Defence is done by GeM," he said. Singh, an IAS officer of the Manipur cadre, said the procurement portal achieved overall sales of Rs 1.06 lakh crore last year. "This year, we are expecting to reach Rs 2 lakh crore post the COVID-19 ...