Major purchases for the armed forces are expected to be cleared in the coming weeks. There are several big-ticket items, including indigenously manufactured weapons systems.
They include the purchase of 25 indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters or ALH-3 for the Army Aviation Corps. The ALH-3 deal is for Rs 3,800 crore.
The Navy’s most important proposal is for 39 Russian Klub anti-ship cruise missiles and the necessary equipment to go with it. This repeat order is worth about Rs 1,735 crore.
There is a proposal regarding 10 Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial Systems or simply, drones for surveillance to protect major warships. Other small, but important projects include software programmes for training, ordnance disposal systems and radios for ships.
Digital Radar Warning Receivers, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation or DRDO will be purchased for the Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 fleet. The Rs 1,000 crore project for about 125 DRWR-118s will improve the avionics capabilities of the warplanes.
Of course, the purchase of 6 lakh Russian-designed AK-203, made indigenously in an Uttar Pradesh factory, for Rs 5,100 crore, will be a big-ticket item. The Kalashnikovs will not only be for the Army but the central police forces.
