Kamikaze Drones, Anti-Tank Weapons In India's Rs 52,000-Crore Defence Cart

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has given its acceptance of necessity (AoN) to several procurement proposals that have been put forth with an aggregate value of nearly Rs 52,000 crore.

The AoNs include the approval of indigenous as well as advanced defence equipment for the armed forces, focusing primarily on air defence, drone-killing equipment, surveillance and unmanned systems.

AON is the first step in the procurement process in India. The step gives principle acceptance for procurement and is followed by further steps such as request for proposals (RFPs), commercial evaluations and contract negotiations.

For the Indian Army, the AoN has been given for the procurement of Akash Tarang anti-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) electronic warfare system, man portable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM) systems, medium range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) weapon system, very short-range air defence system (V-SHORADS), active protection systems (APS) for tanks and jet-based kamikaze drone systems.

The Akash Tarang is expected to help the army defend against hostile drones. This equipment will be indigenously made to meet the growing requirement for protection against UAVs.

The MPATGM will increase the capability of infantry in dealing with threats from armoured vehicles, and the MRSAM weapon system will provide air defence against different types of aerial targets.

The V-SHORADS will be equipped with multi-spectral sensors and is expected to give more resilience against the enemy countermeasures. With the APS, the survival capacity of tanks is expected to increase due to protection against anti-tank missiles. The jet-based kamikaze drone system will enable better electronic warfare capabilities along with increased lethality and survivability at lower costs.

For the Indian Navy, the AoNs have been given to buy multi influence ground mines (MIGM), naval shipborne unmanned aerial systems (NSUAS) and a land-based testing facility (LBTF) for electric propulsion systems.

The mines will help the Indian Navy develop sea-denial capability against adversaries and will restrict their movement in Indian waters. The NSUAS will increase maritime surveillance capability and situational awareness due to sensors. The LBTF will aid in the development and validation of electric propulsion systems for future naval vessels.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) was also granted approval for a fixed-wing high-altitude pseudo satellite (FW-HAPS). Other proposals have also been approved for procurement by the air force. With this platform, there will be an increase in capability of ISR, telecommunications and remote sensing capabilities of the air force over an extended period.