India Adds Hardware Worth Rs 79,000 Crore In Defence Shopping Cart

India will buy military hardware worth Rs 79,000 crore for the three armed services to boost their firepower and strength. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) held a meeting today under Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's chairmanship and approved several shopping plans of the air force, navy and army. The DAC gave 'Acceptance of Necessity (AoN)' status on a proposal to buy the Nag missile system on tracks, called Mk-II NAMIS. Ground-based mobile ELINT systems called GBMES, and high-mobility vehicles with cranes installed on them are some of the other military hardware cleared for acquisition by the DAC, the government said in a statement after the meeting. The tracked NAMIS will improve the army's capability of destroying enemy combat vehicles, bunkers and other field fortifications. GBMES will provide 24-hour electronic intelligence of enemy emitters and snoop on them for tactical information gathering. The induction of the high-mobility vehicles will significantly improve logistics support to the forces in diverse terrains, the statement said. The navy's shopping list includes landing platform docks (LPD), 30 mm naval surface gun, advanced lightweight torpedoes, electro-optical infrared search and track system, and smart ammunition for 76 mm super rapid gun mount. The landing platform docks will be very useful for the Indian Navy in carrying out joint amphibious assault operations with the army and the air force. These platforms can also be deployed for peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief. The advanced lightweight torpedo is a homegrown system developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It can target conventional, nuclear and midget submarines. The 30 mm naval surface guns will enhance the capability of the navy and the Indian Coast Guard to conduct low-intensity maritime and anti-piracy operations, the statement said. For the air force, the DAC cleared the Collaborative Long Range Target Saturation/Destruction System (CLRTS/DS) and other proposals. This system has the capability to autonomously take-off, land, navigate, detect and deliver payload in the mission area, the statement said.