By Vineet Dikshit

NewsGate Press Network

Decks are finally cleared for formal announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi now on a state visit to France for much needed acquisition of fighter jets for both the aircraft carriers namely INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya.

On Thursday the 13th of July 2023, the Defence Acquisition Council  – the highest decision making body in the Defence Ministry approved the proposal along with other important decision to buy another set of three Scorpene submarine for the Indian Navy.

According to a statement issued by the Defence Ministry, the DAC meeting presided over by defence minister Rajnath Singh approved three proposals  – formal Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support for the Indian Navy from the French Government based on Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA).

The price and other terms of purchase will be negotiated with the French Government after taking into account all relevant aspects, including comparative procurement price of similar aircraft by other countries, the MoD statement said.

Further, integration of Indian designed equipment and establishment of Maintenance, Repair & Operations (MRO) Hub for various systems will be incorporated into the contract documents after due negotiations.

The DAC also granted the AoN for procurement of three additional Scorpene submarines under Buy (Indian) category which will be constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL).

The procurement of additional submarines, with higher indigenous content, will not only help in maintaining required force level and operational readiness of the Indian Navy, but also create significant employment opportunities in the domestic sector.

It will also help the MDL in further enhancing its capability and expertise in submarine construction.

In addition, the DAC approved the proposal to lay down guidelines for achieving the desired indigenous content in all categories of capital acquisition cases.

It will help in achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in critical manufacturing technologies and life-cycle sustenance of defence platforms/equipment through indigenous manufacturing, the MoD statement added.