JOIN USGovt okays Rs 860-cr acquisition by navy
The defence ministry on Monday cleared procurement worth Rs 860 crore for the Indian Navy to boost the capability of the blue water force.
The approval included buying Barak missiles from Israel, a thermal bathymetry system from the USA and a clip-on suit for anti-mine operations at sea.
The green signal came from the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley.
This was Jaitley’s first DAC meeting after taking over as the defence minister following the exit of Manohar Parrikar from the South Block.
The approval for short-range Israeli-origin missiles is to replenish the weapons in the air-defence system used by several warships.
They would be procured from the Rafael Advance Defence Systems Ltd, Israel.
The expendable bathythermograph system will be purchased from the USA through a government-to-government deal. It will be used to create a temperature profile of the water for improved sonar performance.
This is the first military contract with the USA approved by the Narendra Modi government in the Donald Trump regime.
On the other hand, the Rs 311 crore deal to buy mine countermeasure equipment for warships would be through a global tendering process. They are clip-on suits that can be attached to the existing naval vessels.
Jaitley also instructed the officials to accelerate other pending procurement cases and quicken the contract negotiation process, said a defence ministry source.