New Delhi, July 27, 2022 (PPI-OT):Continuing with its hegemonic designs in the region, India has approved the procurement of military equipment and weapons worth Rs 28,000 crore. The procurement proposals for military equipment which includes swarm drones, carbines and bulletproof jackets were cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

“The Acceptance of Necessity [AoN] for capital acquisition proposals of the armed forces amounting to Rs 28,732 crore were accorded by the DAC,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement. The approval to the new procurement proposals came amid over two-year-long border standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh.

The Indian ministry said approval to procure four lakh close quarter battle carbines was granted to combat the “current complex paradigm of conventional and hybrid warfare”. This is set to provide a major impetus to the small arms manufacturing industry in India and enhancing self-reliance in small arms, the ministry claimed in the statement.

Meanwhile, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has commenced flight trials of the next version of fighter jets Tejas Mark 1A. Indian media quoting sources reported that flight-test has started as per schedule.

In February last year, the Indian Ministry of Defence had signed a contract with the HAL for the supply of 83 jets at a cost of Rs 45,696 crore. Tejas MK 1A will have 43 improvements over the existing version. Most of the changes are related to avionics, weapons and maintenance. In all, 40 Tejas jets of this variant have already been manufactured. The Indian Air Force (IAF) will receive Tejas Mark 1A jets by February 2024. The Ministry of Defence has set a target of making 83 planes by February 2030.

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