DAC approves capital acquisitions worth over Rs 15000 crore

The Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Defence Minister has approved capital acquisition of 7.4 lakh assault rifles, 17,000 light machine guns, 5,719 sniper rifles and Mareech advanced torpedo decoy systems for Indian Navy worth Rs. 15,935 crore. DAC is Defence Ministry’s highest decision-making body on procurement.

DAC approval includes

7.4 lakh assault rifles: It will be procured for three Services. These rifles will be ‘Made in India’ under categorisation of ‘Buy and Make (Indian)’, through both the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and private industry at an estimated cost of Rs. 12,280 crore. The assault rifles will be of 7.62mm calibre and carbines of 5.56mm calibre. It will replace the indigenous INSAS rifles.
17,000 light machine guns: It will be procured for three Services through fast-track procedure at over Rs. 1,819 crore.
5,719 sniper rifles: It will procured for Indian Army and Air Force for about Rs. 982 crore. It will be bought in Buy Global category. Its ammunition will be initially procured and subsequently manufactured in India.
Mareech advanced torpedo decoy systems: It will procured for Indian Navy to enhance the anti-submarine warfare capabilities of Naval Ships. It has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and has successfully completed extensive trial evaluations. The systems will be produced by Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), Bengaluru, at an estimated cost of Rs.850 crore.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2018