Nod to Rs 21k-cr defence acquisition proposals

Pressing ahead with its policy to promote the domestic military industry, the government on Saturday cleared procurement proposals worth over Rs 21,000 crore. It also okayed a project for production of transport aircraft which is open only to Indian private sector companies.

Among the major proposals to receive approval is a Rs 9,000-crore tender to provide five fleet-support ships for the Navy, for which the request for proposal (RFP) would be issued to all public and private sector shipyards, defence ministry officials said.

The majority of the proposals cleared would involve only Indian public and private sector firms and are aimed at increasing the indigenisation of military hardware, they added.

Chairing his first meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said, “There are many proposals in the pipeline for the defence forces and, today, we have tried to expedite quite a few of them.”

Thus, a proposal for supply of 32 HAL-built Advanced Light Helicopter, 'Dhruv', to the Coast Guard and the Navy at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore was also okayed, officials said.

Under the proposal, state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will supply 16 helicopters each to the Coast Guard and the Navy and also provide maintenance for the machines to ensure the “highest level of operational maintenance and efficiency”.

DAC also cleared an IAF proposal for issuance of a tender for construction of 56 transport aircraft by private industry players to replace the force's fleet of Avro aircraft, they said.

“This is going to be a significant project in which the private sector would be the sole player and lead to capacity- building in the private sector,” Jaitley said in reference to the tender for replacing the Avro aircraft.

According to the proposal, private Indian defence companies such as Tata and Mahindra would be issued tender and they would build the aircraft in partnership with foreign firms.