Army shutting down high-tech project in bid to save Rs 30 billion cost

The army says equipping the 800-plus combat units with BMS would cost an unaffordable Rs 500-600 billion, going by prototype development costs

The army will officially shut down a project on Friday that was aimed at transforming it into a 21st century force, which leverages digital communications and information technology (IT) to swiftly detect, identify and destroy its foes.

Senior generals, including the army’s vice-chief, want to scrap the revolutionary Battlefield Management System (BMS) to save Rs 30 billion it will cost to develop. Instead, they want legacy weapons like rifles and light machine guns.

The official foreclosure of the BMS project will be declared on Friday, ironically, by the Defence Production Board (DPrB) — a defence ministry body charged with promoting