Army’s combat readiness gets boost with procurements worth Rs 1,981 cr

In a major push to enhance the Indian Army's readiness for counter-terrorism (CT) operations, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Tuesday announced the conclusion of 13 contracts worth Rs 1,981 crore under the emergency procurement (EP) route. This is part of a Rs 2,000 crore outlay allocated for rapid capability building.

Executed through fast-track procedures, the procurement aims to enhance situational awareness, lethality, mobility, and protection for troops deployed in counter terrorism operations. The acquisitions were completed within compressed timelines to ensure rapid capability augmentation, the Ministry of Defence said.

Key equipment being procured includes multiple categories of drones, including VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) systems. Drone detection and interdiction systems, all these came in very handy during the operation Sindoor. Additional bullet proof jackets (BPJs) and ballistic helmets are also on the purchase list.

Among the radars being purchased is the low-level lightweight radars.

For needs to tackle incoming ariel threats the Army will be getting very short-range air defence systems (VSHORADS). This will include launchers of the VSHORADS and its missiles. These have ranges of less than 10-km and form part of multi-layered air defence systems that proved its mettle in Operation Sindoor.

The Army will be adding to its arsenal of loitering ammunitions, these are like ‘kamikaze’ drones and can stay in the air for specified period and hit targets on a command given from ground.

The Army will also get ‘night sights’ for rifles. These allow troops to sight the terrorists even during night.

The MoD said these procurements reflect the Ministry’s commitment to equipping the Indian Army with modern, mission-critical, and completely indigenous systems to meet emerging security challenges.

The emergency procurement route continues to be a key enabler in bridging urgent capability gaps and ensuring timely induction of vital operational equipment.

In the past few years emergency procurement has been done in five tranches largely for equipment needed for tackling the threats along the northern boundary with China.