NEW DELHI: The defence ministry on Tuesday gave the initial nod for the procurement of 87 new heavy-duty armed drones and over 110 more air-launched BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, which IAF used as the primary weapon to strike Pakistani airbases and radar sites in May, among several modernisation proposals collectively worth Rs 67,000 crore.
The acceptance of necessity (AoN) granted by the Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) for the 87 armed medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) remotely-piloted aircraft will see an Indian company tying up with a foreign one to produce the drones with “an indigenous content of 60%”.
“The need for such MALE drones, armed with air-to-ground missiles and laser-guided bombs as well as capable of operating at long ranges, was acutely felt for the three Services during Operation Sindoor,” a senior official told TOI.
“The 87 drones, with ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and weapon-carrying capability, will cost around Rs 20,000 crore. Another Rs 11,000 crore will be for logistical and other support by the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for 10 years,” he added.
India, of course, had used Israeli-origin Harop and Harpy kamikaze drones, which act as cruise missiles by exploding into enemy assets and radars, to hit targets deep inside Pakistan during the May 7-10 hostilities.
The armed forces hope to induct the 87 new MALE drones, which return to their bases after strike missions, faster than the 31-armed MQ-9B `Predator’ HALE (high-altitude, long endurance) drones ordered from the US for Rs 32,350 crore in Oct last year, which will be delivered only in the 2029-30 timeframe.
The over 110 air-launched BrahMos missiles , which are jointly manufactured by India and Russia, in turn, will cost around Rs 10,800 crore. These 450-km range missiles, which fly almost three times the speed of sound at Mach 2.8, combined with Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, with a combat radius of about 1,500-km, constitute a deadly weapons package, as was witnessed during Operation Sindoor.
The DAC also accorded AoN for eight BrahMos fire control systems and vertical launchers for older Indian warships for Rs 650 crore. Around 20 frontline warships, including the latest destroyers and frigates, are already armed with the BrahMos missiles.
In March last year, the defence ministry had inked a Rs 19,519 crore procurement of over 220 BrahMos missiles for frontline warships with the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace. The total value of deals inked for BrahMos has crossed Rs 58,000 crore over the years, with the missiles becoming the “prime conventional (non-nuclear) precision strike weapons” for the armed forces.
For the Army, the DAC gave the nod for new thermal imager-based driver night-sights for infantry combat vehicles (BMPs). “This would enhance night driving capability of the BMPs and provide higher mobility and operational advantage to the mechanised infantry,” another official said.
The DAC also approved the procurement of compact autonomous surface crafts and upgrade of the older Israeli Barak-1 point defence missile systems on warships. “The autonomous crafts will provide the Navy’s capability for detection, classification and neutralisation of threats in anti-submarine warfare missions,” he added.
The IAF, in turn, will get specialised mountain radars to enhance its air surveillance capabilities along and across the northern borders with China. The Saksham (Israeli-origin Spyder) anti-aircraft missile system, which has a 15-km range, will also be upgraded to enhance air defence capabilities.
“The DAC also accorded AoN for sustenance of the American C-17 and C-130J aircraft fleets and comprehensive annual maintenance contract of the Russian S-400 long-range air defence missile systems,” the official said.
The acceptance of necessity (AoN) granted by the Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) for the 87 armed medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) remotely-piloted aircraft will see an Indian company tying up with a foreign one to produce the drones with “an indigenous content of 60%”.
“The need for such MALE drones, armed with air-to-ground missiles and laser-guided bombs as well as capable of operating at long ranges, was acutely felt for the three Services during Operation Sindoor,” a senior official told TOI.
“The 87 drones, with ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and weapon-carrying capability, will cost around Rs 20,000 crore. Another Rs 11,000 crore will be for logistical and other support by the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for 10 years,” he added.
India, of course, had used Israeli-origin Harop and Harpy kamikaze drones, which act as cruise missiles by exploding into enemy assets and radars, to hit targets deep inside Pakistan during the May 7-10 hostilities.
The armed forces hope to induct the 87 new MALE drones, which return to their bases after strike missions, faster than the 31-armed MQ-9B `Predator’ HALE (high-altitude, long endurance) drones ordered from the US for Rs 32,350 crore in Oct last year, which will be delivered only in the 2029-30 timeframe.
The over 110 air-launched BrahMos missiles , which are jointly manufactured by India and Russia, in turn, will cost around Rs 10,800 crore. These 450-km range missiles, which fly almost three times the speed of sound at Mach 2.8, combined with Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, with a combat radius of about 1,500-km, constitute a deadly weapons package, as was witnessed during Operation Sindoor.
The DAC also accorded AoN for eight BrahMos fire control systems and vertical launchers for older Indian warships for Rs 650 crore. Around 20 frontline warships, including the latest destroyers and frigates, are already armed with the BrahMos missiles.
In March last year, the defence ministry had inked a Rs 19,519 crore procurement of over 220 BrahMos missiles for frontline warships with the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace. The total value of deals inked for BrahMos has crossed Rs 58,000 crore over the years, with the missiles becoming the “prime conventional (non-nuclear) precision strike weapons” for the armed forces.
For the Army, the DAC gave the nod for new thermal imager-based driver night-sights for infantry combat vehicles (BMPs). “This would enhance night driving capability of the BMPs and provide higher mobility and operational advantage to the mechanised infantry,” another official said.
The DAC also approved the procurement of compact autonomous surface crafts and upgrade of the older Israeli Barak-1 point defence missile systems on warships. “The autonomous crafts will provide the Navy’s capability for detection, classification and neutralisation of threats in anti-submarine warfare missions,” he added.
The IAF, in turn, will get specialised mountain radars to enhance its air surveillance capabilities along and across the northern borders with China. The Saksham (Israeli-origin Spyder) anti-aircraft missile system, which has a 15-km range, will also be upgraded to enhance air defence capabilities.
“The DAC also accorded AoN for sustenance of the American C-17 and C-130J aircraft fleets and comprehensive annual maintenance contract of the Russian S-400 long-range air defence missile systems,” the official said.
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