Govt Approves Purchase Of Military Equipment Worth $8.5 Bn

India approved USD 8.5 billion in purchases of missiles, helicopters, artillery guns and electronic warfare devices on Thursday as it looked to beef up its military.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the top government body for capital acquisition approvals for the Indian military, authorised orders totalling 705 billion rupees (USD 8.52 billion) for all forces, according to a statement from the Defence Ministry.

It stated that all orders would be made with Indian companies, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government's push to boost domestic defence manufacturing.

India, surrounded by nuclear-armed neighbours China and Pakistan, has been trying to modernise its mostly Soviet-era military equipment, despite ongoing tensions with Chinese forces along its disputed Himalayan border.

The emphasis on the navy, which accounted for 560 billion rupees in approvals on Thursday, comes after India voiced concern last year about Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean. The inventory of authorised purchases included 200 additional BrahMos missiles, 50 utility helicopters and navy electronic warfare systems.

BrahMos is a supersonic missile created jointly by India and Russia with a range of approximately 300 kilometres. For more than a decade, all three Indian military forces have used variants of the missile.

The DAC also authorised the production of a diesel marine engine, a first for India. It agreed to the plan of the air force for a long-range stand-off weapon to be used by the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet.

The army was given permission to purchase 307 155mm/52 calibre towed artillery weapons, as well as high mobility vehicles and gun towing vehicles.