Defense Acquisition Council, approval for purchase of armored fighting vehicles and interceptor boats

The Ministry of Defense has taken important steps to increase the capacity of the Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard. Under this, the armored fighting vehicles of the Indian Army will be improved. On the other hand, the purchase of modern systems has also been approved for the interceptor boats of the Coast Guard. These decisions were taken in a meeting held on Monday. The Defense Ministry said that an important meeting of the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) was held on Monday under the chairmanship of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. Various capital acquisition proposals were considered in this meeting held in Delhi. The meeting granted Acceptance of Necessity (AON) for the procurement of an Advanced Land Navigation System (ALNS) for the Indian Army's Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs).

The Defense Ministry says that with a high level of encryption, the system is spoof-proof. ALNS MK-II provides compatibility with defense series maps. This results in very high accuracy in navigational applications for AFVs. The equipment will be procured from Chennai-based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). It will be procured under the Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed, and Manufactured (IDDM) category. ALNS MK-II is equipped with GPS and a Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS). Apart from this, it is compatible with the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, Navigation using the Indian constellation (IRNSS, NAVIC), India.

According to the Defense Ministry, initiatives have also been taken to enhance the capabilities of the Indian Coast Guard. Under this, DAC granted AON for procurement of 22 Interceptor Boats fitted with the latest state-of-the-art systems capable of rapid interception and operations in shallow waters. These boats will be used for coastal surveillance and patrolling, search and rescue operations including medical evacuation.