NEW DELHI: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), on Tuesday, accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for 10 capital acquisition proposals amounting to Rs 1,44,716 crore.DAC was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.The proposals include procurement of Future Ready Combat Vehicles, Air Defence Fire Control Radars, Dornier-228 aircraft, Next Generation Fast Patrol & Offshore Patrol Vessels.Of the total cost of AoNs, 99 per cent is from Indigenous sources under the Buy (Indian) and Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) categories.As per procedure, it is the DAC that grants the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) which sets the procedure for acquisition. The Defence Acquisition Council is the highest decision-making body on issues related to policy and capital procurement and is chaired by the Defence Minister.For the modernisation of the armoured (tank) fleet of the Indian Army, the proposal for procurement of Future Ready Combat Vehicles (FRCVs) has been cleared. The FRCV will be a futuristic Main Battle Tank with superior mobility, all-terrain ability, multilayered protections, precision & lethal fires over and real-time situational awareness. To begin with, T-72 tanks will be replaced first by the FRCVs.As per the initial plans, reported by TNIE, the plan is to replace Indian Army’s over four-decade-old Russian-origin T-72 battle tank with future-ready combat vehicles (FRCVs) by 2030. The sources in the defence establishment said that the Army is procuring a total of 1,770 FRCVs in three phases with 550-600 to be procured in each phase.It was in June 2021, that the government issued a request for information (RFI) to procure 1,770 new ‘state-of-the-art’ ‘technology-enabled’ tanks to operate in existing terrain configurations under varied temperature conditions.Further, the AoN was also accorded for procurement of Air Defence Fire Control Radars, which will detect & track aerial targets and provide firing solutions. The proposal has also been approved for the Forward Repair Team (Tracked) which has suitable cross-country mobility for carrying out in-situ repair during mechanised operations.This equipment is designed & developed by Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited and is authorised for both mechanised Infantry Battalion and Armoured Regiment.Three AoNs have been accorded to enhance the capabilities of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).The procurement of Dornier-228 aircraft, Next Generation Fast Patrol Vessels having high operational features in rough weather conditions and Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels with advanced technology and enhanced long-range operations, will enhance the capability of ICG to carry out surveillance, patrolling of the maritime zone, search & rescue and disaster relief operations.The Indian Coast Guard came into being in February 1977 with a fleet strength of just seven ships for surveillance in the Indian waters and 2.01 million square kilometres of Exclusive Economic Zone.At present, it comprises 184 surface ships. The Indian Coast Guard is an auxiliary service for Maritime Law Enforcement, undertaking ‘safety and protection’ tasks in Indian waters.
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