India approves $8.8b defence allocations for Army, Navy and Air Force

Army to get loiter munitions, radars, rockets, anti-drone systems; Navy and Air Force get ISR, missiles, simulators

India's defence acquisition council (DAC) has cleared proposals worth 790 billion rupees ($8.78 billion) to buy radars, radios, automatic take-off landing recording systems and other equipment for its army, navy and air force, the defence ministry said on Monday.

Chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the DAC meeting granted the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for a range of capability-enhancing equipment, including radars, radios, loiter munitions, anti-drone systems, precision rockets, aircraft simulators, and maritime surveillance tools.

New weapons systems for Army

Indian media sources said that, Indian Army will acquire loiter munition systems for precision artillery strikes, low-level lightweight radars to detect small UAVs, long-range guided rocket ammunition for the Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System, and the Integrated Drone Detection & Interdiction System (IDD&IS) Mk-II to protect critical military sites. Officials said these upgrades will enhance battlefield intelligence, precision firepower, and protection against drone threats.

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Indian Navy: Maritime surveillance and mobility

The Navy will procure Bollard Pull tugs for improved harbour manoeuvres, high-frequency software-defined manpack radios to secure communications, and lease High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) remotely piloted aircraft systems for sustained intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) across the Indian Ocean region.

Missiles and simulators for IAF

The Air Force will receive automatic take-off and landing recording systems for safer operations, Astra Mk-II air-to-air missiles with extended range, full-mission simulators for the Tejas fighter jet, and SPICE-1000 long-range guidance kits to improve precision strike capabilities.