The Defence Ministry on Thursday (August 24) approved the acquisition proposals worth Rs 7,800 crore, including the procurement of electronic warfare suite for Mi-17 V5 helicopters.Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh cleared the proposals.According to the Defence Ministry, the proposals approved by the DAC included one on the procurement of 7.62x51 mm Light Machine Gun (LMG) and another on acquisition of weapons MH-60R helicopters of the Indian Navy.."A Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting, held under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals worth approximately Rs 7,800 crore," the ministry said in a statement."To enhance the efficiency of the Indian Air Force, the DAC has granted AoN for procurement and installation of Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite on Mi-17 V5 helicopters under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category," it said.

The EW suite will be procured from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)."The DAC has also accorded AoN for procurement of ground-based autonomous system for mechanised infantry and armoured regiments which will enable various operations like unmanned surveillance, logistic delivery of ammunition, fuel and spares and casualty evacuation in the battle field," the ministry said.

The Ministry said that proposals for procurement of 7.62x51 mm LMG and Bridge Laying Tank (BLT) have also been given go ahead by the DAC."While induction of LMG will enhance fighting capabilities of infantry forces, the induction of BLT will result in faster movement of mechanised forces," it said.

"The AoN for procurement of Ruggedised Laptops and Tablets for the Indian Army under Project Shakti has also been accorded. All these procurements will be sourced from indigenous vendors only," the ministry said."To enhance the operational capability of the MH-60R Helicopters of the Indian Navy, the DAC has accorded AoN for procurement of weapons for the same," it added.