MoD clears big arms deals, including BrahMos, armed drones, worth Rs 67,000cr
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The acceptance of necessity (AoN) granted by the Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) for the 87 armed medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) remotely-piloted aircraft will see an Indian company tying up with a foreign one to produce the drones with "an indigenous content of 60%". "The need for such MALE drones, armed with air-to-ground missiles and laser-guided bombs as well as capable of operating at long ranges, was acutely felt for the three services during Operation Sindoor," a senior official told TOI.
Armed forces hope to induct 87 new MALE drones, which are faster than 'Predator' HALE
The 87 drones, with ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and weapon-carrying capability, will cost around Rs 20,000 crore. Another Rs 11,000 crore will be for logistical and other support by the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for 10 years," the senior official added.
India, of course, had used Israeli-origin Harop and Harpy kamikaze drones, which act as cruise missiles by exploding into enemy assets and radars, to hit targets deep inside Pakistan during the May 7-10 hostilities.
The armed forces hope to induct the 87 new MALE drones, which return to their bases after strike missions, faster than the 31-armed MQ-9B 'Predator' HALE (high-altitude, long endurance) drones ordered from the US for Rs 32,350 crore in Oct last year, which will be delivered only in the 2029-30 timeframe.
The over 110 air-launched BrahMos missiles, which are jointly manufactured by India and Russia, in turn, will cost around Rs 10,800 crore.
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These 450-km range missiles, which fly almost three times the speed of sound at Mach 2.8, combined with Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, with a combat radius of about 1,500-km, constitute a deadly weapons package, as was witnessed during Operation Sindoor.
The DAC also accorded AoN for eight BrahMos fire control systems and vertical launchers for older Indian warships for Rs 650 crore.
Around 20 frontline warships, including the latest destroyers and frigates, are already armed with the BrahMos missiles. In March last year, the defence ministry had inked a Rs 19,519 crore deal for procurement of over 220 BrahMos missiles for frontline warships with the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace. The total value of deals inked for BrahMos has crossed Rs 58,000 crore over the years, with the missiles becoming the "prime conventional (non-nuclear) precision strike weapons" for the armed forces.
For the Army, the DAC gave the nod for new thermal imager-based driver night-sights for infantry combat vehicles (BMPs). "This would provide higher mobility and operational advantage," another official said.
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