Army has the right to buy indigenous weapons on fastrack: Defense Ministry

The Defense Ministry on Monday approved the grant of financial powers to the armed forces for emergency procurement of indigenous weapon systems and ammunition given the two-year-old military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh, while the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) The “new process”, approved by the DAC), which was chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by the three service chiefs and the defense secretary, involves “capital acquisition” from domestic sources on a fast-track basis.

 

He said that under this process, the entire process of acquisition will have to be completed within six months. However, the upper limit of each contract has been kept at Rs 300-400 crore. This new process will reduce delays and help the armed forces to address operational deficiencies faster,” the Defense Ministry declined to comment on the outcome of the DAC meeting. The government had entrusted capital and revenue financial powers to the Army, Navy, and IAF for a specified period for "emergency and critical contracts" for manufacturing of After the September 2016 Uri terror attack, the stock of ammunition and spares was asked by the Defense Ministry to increase.

 

Emergency powers were once again handed over to the Armed Forces and made independent following the incursion of several Chinese troops into Eastern Ladakh in May 2020.

 

These acquisitions range from the French 'Hammer' to precision-guided air-to-ground munitions for the new Rafale fighter jets, which are designed to destroy bunkers and stern shelters at ranges of 30 to 80 kilometers. Israel's Heron symbol. -3 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and 'Spike' Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM).

 

The Army alone had done 71 capital purchase contracts (Rs 70,18 crore) and 115 revenue purchase deals (Rs 10,000 crore) under those emergency powers.