Naval copters to get weapons; new machine guns for Army

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 24

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), at its meeting today, okayed the “need to procure” weapons for the newly acquired naval helicopters, a new set of light machine guns and an new electronic warfare suite for the Indian Air Force’s Mi17-V5 copters.

The “need to procure” is termed as acceptance of necessity (AoN) of the said equipment. The AoN is the first step in the acquisition process of the MoD and is like a green light to the forces to frame the tenders for procurement. The DAC is chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Electronic warfare suite on Mi-17-V5

• Procurement and installation of electronic warfare (EW) suite on Mi-17-V5 helicopters will enhance combat survivability
• EW suite will be procured from Bharat Electronics Ltd, a public sector enterprise under MoD. IAF has about 130 Mi17-V5
• Procurement of 7.62x51 mm light machine gun and bridge laying tank will enhance capabilities of infantry and mechanised forces

Acquisition proposals, amounting to Rs 7,800 crore, have been accorded an AoN, the Ministry of Defence said.

DAC has granted AoN to procure weapons for the MH-60R helicopters of the Navy procured from US company Lockheed Martin. These copters are anti-submarine warfare enabled and have the ability to track submarines. The weapons could add an edge to the copters that fly of deck of Indian warships.

The DAC okayed procurement and installation of electronic warfare (EW) suite on Mi-17-V5 helicopters to enhance their survivability in a combat scenario. The EW suite will be procured from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a public sector enterprise under the MoD. The IAF operates about 130 Mi17-V5 helicopters.

The DAC has accorded AoN for procurement of ground-based autonomous system for mechanised infantry and armoured regiments which will enable various operations such as unmanned surveillance and logistic delivery of ammunition. Also, proposals for procurement of 7.62x51 mm light machine gun (LMG) and bridge laying tank (BLT) have also been given a go ahead by the DAC, which also approved ruggedised laptops and tablets for the Army.

#Indian Air Force