The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals worth approximately 7,800 crore rupees in a meeting chaired by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh today. To enhance the efficiency of the Indian Air Force, the DAC granted AoN for the procurement and installation of Electronic Warfare EW Suite on Mi-17 V5 Helicopters under the Buy Indian-IDDM category which will enhance better survivability of Helicopters. The EW Suite will be procured from Bharat Electronics Limited BEL.

The DAC has also accorded AoN for procurement of a Ground-Based Autonomous System for mechanised infantry and armoured regiments which will enable various operations like unmanned surveillance, logistic delivery of ammunition, fuel and spares and casualty evacuation on the battlefield. Proposals for procurement of 7.62×51 mm Light Machine Gun LMG and Bridge Laying Tank BLT have also been given the go-ahead by the DAC. While induction of LMG will enhance the fighting capabilities of infantry forces, the induction of BLT will result in faster movement of Mechanised Forces. The AoN for procurement of Ruggedised Laptops and Tablets for the Indian Army under Project Shakti has also been accorded. All these procurements will be sourced from Indigenous vendors only.

To enhance the operational capability of the MH-60R Helicopters of the Indian Navy, the DAC has accorded AoN for procurement of weapons for it.