New Delhi: The Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 is likely to undergo a complete revamp in 2025, with efforts underway to make it “amenable to service requirements”, the Ministry of Defence has said in its year-end review.
Laying out a plan for the next 15 years, the ministry said that more than 500 schemes have been planned for acquiring potent fighting capability for the three armed forces, which it divided into categories, such as force application, battlefield awareness, command and control, sustenance and support, and protection.
The Defence Procurement Board (DPB) approved the Annual Acquisition Plan (AAP) 2024-2026 in May this year.
According to the ministry’s statement, based on the prioritisation of schemes of the acquisition plan, a total of 25 schemes, costing approximately Rs 40,695 crore, have been identified and targeted to be concluded in FY 2024-25.
In order to address capability voids and induct niche technology, a special provision was accorded in the form of Emergency Procurement IV by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on 22 August, 2023, and a total of 73 capability development schemes were contracted in the domains of drone/counter-drone, weapon systems, mobility and protection, and survivability.
Additionally, in a boost for capability development of the Indian armed forces, the defence ministry signed contracts for 40 capital acquisition proposals amounting to Rs 4,22,129.55 crore.
Of these, AoNs (Acceptance of Necessity) for proposals worth Rs 3,97,584.34 crore (or 94.19 percent) have been accorded to be procured from Indian industry players.
The review listed some of the key highlights with respect to capability development from this year.
In February, the DAC accorded approvals for AoNs for capital acquisition proposals worth Rs 84,560 crore. These included proposals for generation anti-tank mines, Air Defence Tactical Control Radar, heavy weight torpedoes, medium range maritime reconnaissance & multi-mission maritime aircraft, flight refueller aircraft and software-defined radios.
In July, the DAC approved capital acquisition proposals, including procurement of Advanced Land Navigation System for armoured fighting vehicles of the Indian Army. At the time, it also accorded AoN to 22 interceptor boats with the latest state-of-art system for the Indian Coast Guard.
In September, a total of ten capital acquisition proposals, amounting to Rs 1,44,716 crore, received AoNs. These included procurement of Future Ready Combat Vehicles, Air Defence Fire Control Radars, Dornier-228 aircraft, Next Generation Fast Patrol and offshore patrol vessels.
Furthermore, just this month, AoNs were accorded for five capital acquisition proposals worth over Rs. 21,772 crore. These included procurement of Water Jet Fast Attack Crafts, Fast Interceptor Craft, Electronic Warfare Suite, Next Generation Radar Warning Receiver and Advanced Light Helicopters for surveillance in coastal areas.
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Major contracts inked in 2024
India inked an agreement with the US government for tri-service procurement of 31 MQ-9B Sky/Sea Guardian High Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) in October. Another contract was signed with General Atomics Global India Private Limited for Performance-Based Logistics for the RPAS through depot-level maintenance, repair & overhaul in India.
With Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the defence ministry signed a contract in September for 240 AL-31FP Aero Engines for Su-30MKI aircraft, worth Rs 26,000 crore. Another contract for procurement of 12 Su-30MKI aircraft, along with associated equipment, was inked in December, at an approximate cost of Rs 13,500 crore.
Moreover, two contracts were signed in March for acquisition of 34 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Dhruv Mk-III, along with Operational Role Equipment for Indian Army (25 ALHs) and Indian Coast Guard (9 ALHs), for a total of Rs 8,073.17 crore. Two other major contracts were signed with HAL, which included RD-33 Aero Engines for MiG-29 aircraft and a mid-life upgrade of 25 Dornier aircraft.
In February, the ministry signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the procurement of 11 Shakti Electronic Warfare Systems.
Besides these, the ministry signed two contracts with BrahMos Aerospace in March 2024 for the procurement of BrahMos missiles at a cost of Rs 19,518.65 crore, and procurement of ship-borne BrahMos systems at a cost of Rs 988.07 crore.
This month, a contract was signed with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the procurement of 155 mm/52 calibre K9 VAJRA-T Self-Propelled Tracked Artillery Guns for the Indian Army.
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