Corvettes, Su-30 Engines: Indian Industry Gets A Boost Of Rs 76,390-crore In Procurement

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved proposals for the procurement of military equipment and platforms, including eight next-generation corvettes for the Indian Navy, wheeled armoured fighting vehicles and bridge-laying tanks for the Indian Army, and manufacturing of aero-engines for the Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force, in order to boost the Indian defence industry and “significantly reduce foreign spending.”

The Ministry of Defence said in a statement Monday that the DAC “accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for Capital Acquisition Proposals of the Armed Forces amounting to Rs 76,390 crore under the ‘Buy (Indian)’, ‘Buy & Make (Indian)’, and ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)’ categories” at a meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “clarion appeal for ‘Aatmanirbharta,'” according to the statement.

The intended next-generation corvettes will be the first time the warships are designed fully by the Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and built by an Indian shipyard through a competitive offer — unlike previously, when a shipyard was nominated. The new warships will eventually take the place of the corvettes of the Khukri and Kora classes.

“The DAC granted AoN to the Indian Navy for the procurement of Next Generation Corvettes (NGC) at a cost of around Rs 36,000 crore. Surveillance missions, escort operations, deterrent, Surface Action Group (SAG) operations, Search & Attack, and Coastal Defense will all be possible with these NGCs. These NGCs will be built based on the Indian Navy’s new in-house design, employing cutting-edge shipbuilding technology, and will contribute to the government’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) initiative, according to the Ministry.

“For the Indian Army, the DAC issued new AoNs for procurement of Rough Terrain Fork Lift Trucks (RTFLTs), Bridge Laying Tanks (BLTs), Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles (Wh AFVs) with Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs), and Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs) from domestic sources, with an emphasis on indigenous design and development,” the statement said.

“The DAC granted AoNs to the Navratna CPSE M/s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the manufacture of Dornier aircraft and Su-30 MKI aero-engines with an emphasis on boosting indigenization, notably in indigenizing aero-engine material,” the Ministry stated.

“The DAC has authorised the ‘Digital Coast Guard’ project under the ‘Buy (Indian)’ Category, in accordance with the Government’s objective for digital transformation in Defense.” “Under this project, the Coast Guard would develop a pan-India secure network for digitising various surface and aviation operations, logistics, finance, and HR activities,” it said.