According to the Indian Ministry of Defence, three capital acquisition proposals totaling nearly $526 million (Rs. 4,300 crores) for the Indian Army and Navy have been approved. This follows a meeting of the country’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to two proposals from the Indian Army and one from the Navy.
In line with the Indian government’s Make in India initiative, the three proposals fall under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category, which refers to the acquisition of products from an Indian vendor that have been indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured with at least 50% indigenous content (IC).
“The DAC granted AoN for the procurement of HELINA Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, launchers, and associated support equipment to be integrated into the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH),” the defence ministry said in a statement.
Additionally, they also said how the procurement of anti-tank guided missiles is an essential part of weaponising ALHs in “countering enemy threats”. Notably, HELINA is said to be one of the most advanced anti-tank weapons in the world, and the defence ministry stated that its integration will boost the Indian Army’s offensive capabilities.
The DAC also approved the purchase of the VSHORAD (IR Homing) missile system designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is said to be “man-portable” and robust, and with its quickly deployable system, it can be used quickly on rugged terrain as well as in the maritime domain.