Defence Ministry Green-Lights Procurement Of Arms, Equipment Worth Rs 2,290 Crore, Including 72,000 Rifles From US

In a major boost for the armed forces, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday (28 September) approved the procurement of arms and military equipment worth Rs 2,290 crore, reports Economic Times.

The proposals cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council headed by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh include the procurement of 72,000 Sig Sauer assault rifles from the United States for the Army. The transaction will be carried out for Rs 780 crore.

It should be noted that in October 2017, the Indian Army had begun the process to acquire around seven lakh rifles, 44,000 light machine guns and nearly 44,600 carbines.

Further, proposals for the procurement of smart anti-airfield weapon (SAAW) systems for the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force was also green-lighted at a cost of approximately Rs 970 crore.

In addition to these, under the buy Indian category, the DAC also approved the procurement of Static HF transceiver sets at a cost of Rs 540 crore, to ensure seamless communication between the field units of the Army and the Air Force.