India approves purchase of military equipment worth U.S. $8.5 billion
India in March 2023 approved purchases of missiles, helicopters, artillery guns and electronic warfare systems worth U.S. $8.5 billion as it seeks to bolster its military.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the top government body for capital acquisition approvals for the Indian military, approved the orders for all its services, the Indian Defence Ministry said in a statement. All orders will be placed with Indian companies, the ministry said, in keeping with a push by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to boost domestic defense manufacturing. (Pictured: India commissioned its first domestically built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, in September 2022.)
Flanked by fellow nuclear-armed nations the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Pakistan, and with tensions along the disputed Himalayan border with the PRC, India is modernizing its mostly Soviet-era military equipment. The focus on the Indian Navy, which accounted for about 80% of the approved acquisitions, comes after New Delhi expressed concern in 2022 over Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean.
The approved purchases include 200 BrahMos missiles, 50 utility helicopters and electronic warfare systems for the Navy. The DAC also approved manufacturing a diesel marine engine, which will be a first for India, and the Air Force’s proposal for a long-range, standoff weapon for Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets. The Indian Army got approval to buy 307 units of 155 mm/52-caliber towed artillery guns, along with high mobility vehicles and gun-towing vehicles. Reuters
