Defence ministry may clear proposals worth over Rs 1 lakh crore today

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry is expected to approve on Friday several proposals, estimated to be worth over Rs 1 lakh crore, including the acquisition of K-9 Vajra self-propelled howitzers, HAMMER air-to-ground precision guided munitions, a large number of Russian-origin Verba very short-range air defence systems, man portable anti-tank guided missiles, fixed-wing pseudo satellites and naval shipborne aerial systems.The acquisition proposals are expected to be taken up for clearance by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which will see newly-appointed Chief of Defence Staff Gen Raja Subramani, Army chief Gen Dhiraj Seth and Admiral Krishna Swaminathan attending the key meeting as chiefs for the first time.“The Scorpene submarine proposal may not come up for clearance this time,” a source told TOI.The Army is planning its largest artillery expansion by procuring 300 additional K-9 Vajra 155mm/52-calibre tracked self-propelled howitzers. Like the earlier lot, the new howitzers will be built locally by L&T in technological partnership with South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace. Defence ministry will also consider a proposal to buy 600 HAMMER missiles to arm Rafales and Tejas fighter jets with the missiles. HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) precision-guided missiles are to be produced in India by a joint venture between Bharat Electronics Ltd and France’s Safran Electronics & Defense. Used during Operation Sindoor, the missile has a stand-off range of up to 70 km, enabling attacks from outside hostile air defence zones.The Army Air Defence will get a major upgrade as the Indian Army is looking to buy a large number of Russian-origin Verba very short-range air defence missile systems (V-SHORADS). The missile system would be produced by Adani Defence.