Missiles, radars & loiter munition: Centre clears mega Rs 79,000 crore defence deal; what's on list | India News

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday cleared a major tranche of defence procurements worth about Rs 79,000 crore, approving missiles, rockets, radar systems, drones and support platforms aimed at significantly strengthening the combat capabilities of the armed forces.

The approvals were granted by the defence acquisition council chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh.As per a statement by the defence ministry, the DAC accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for a wide range of proposals across the Army, Navy and Air Force. The approvals cover the procurement of Loiter Munition Systems for artillery regiments, Low Level Light Weight Radars, Long Range Guided Rocket Ammunition for the Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System (MRLS), and the Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System Mk-II.

Following the meeting, Rajnath Singh said the decisions reflected the government’s focus on defence preparedness. In a post on X, he wrote, “The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting held today accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for various proposals of the three Services amounting to a total of about Rs 79,000 crore.”He added, “The MoD under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi is working tirelessly to strengthen India’s defence preparedness.

The decisions taken today will help in enhancing operational capabilities of the Armed Forces.”

The ministry said loiter munition will be used for precision strikes against tactical targets, reflecting the growing emphasis on stand-off and high-accuracy weaponry. The low level lightweight radars are designed to detect and track small-sized, low-flying unmanned aerial systems, a capability that has become increasingly critical in modern battlefields.

For the Indian Navy, the DAC approved procurement of Bollard Pull (BP) tugs, High Frequency Software Defined Radios (HF SDR) Manpack, and the leasing of High Altitude Long Range (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). The ministry said induction of BP tugs will assist naval ships and submarines in berthing, unberthing and manoeuvring in confined harbour waters. The Indian Air Force will receive approvals for the procurement of Automatic Take-off Landing Recording Systems, Astra Mk-II missiles, Full Mission Simulators and SPICE-1000 long-range guidance kits. “Induction of the automatic take-off landing recording system will fill the gaps in the aerospace safety environment by providing high definition all-weather automatic recording of landing and take-off,” the ministry said. It added that Astra Mk-II missiles, with enhanced range, will improve the ability of fighter aircraft to neutralise adversary platforms from large stand-off distances.