Rajnath Singh, the Indian Defense Minister, and the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) have approved important acquisition bids for the Indian Army and Navy.
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The purchase of three items totalling Rs 4,276 crore, including the Helina anti-tank guided missiles, was approved by the defence minister on Tuesday. The action aims to improve military combat readiness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
Anti-tank Missiles and Air defence equipment are to be bought
All three Buy (Indian-IDDM) category proposals—two from the Indian Army and one from the Indian Navy—were approved by the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC), which is presided over by Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
“The DAC granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the purchase of Helina anti-tank guided missiles, launchers, and auxiliary equipment that will be integrated into the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). This missile is a crucial component of the ALH’s weaponization to counter threats from the enemy. Its introduction will increase the Indian Army’s capacity for an offence ” the defence ministry stated, in a statement.
The DAC also granted AoN for the purchase of the VSHORAD missile system, which is being designed and developed by the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation).
The focus should be on effective Air Military (AD) weapon systems that are man-portable and can be promptly deployed in challenging terrain and maritime domains, according to the defence ministry.
The ministry said that purchasing VSHORAD will improve air defence capabilities because it is a reliable and quick-deployable technology.
Additionally, the DAC approved the purchase of next-generation missile vessels (NGMVs) for the Indian Navy as well as a Fire Control System (FCS) and Brahmo’s launcher for the Shivalik class of ships.
The ministry went on to say that after their introduction, these ships would have a better ability to execute maritime attack operations, and intercept, and destroy enemy warships and merchant boats. India has been bolstering its overall combat capabilities along the LAC because of the eastern Ladakh border standoff.
Last month, the defence ministry approved the procurement of several military platforms and weapons including light tanks, anti-ship missiles and long-range guided bombs for Rs 84,328 crore
Anti-tank missile and Air defence equipment testing
In the Pokhran range in the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India successfully tested the Army and Air Force variants of the Helina and Dhruvastra anti-tank guided missile systems.
Both the Army’s Helina and the Indian Air Force’s Dhruvastra are third-generation anti-tank guided missiles that can be launched from helicopters (the Nag missile system).
The DRDO has designed and created missile systems domestically. Visit the above website to learn more about the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
The missile system can operate in any weather conditions, day or night, and can destroy battle tanks equipped with both conventional and explosive reactive armour.
Both the “Helina” and the “Dhruvastra” are capable of engaging targets in top attack and direct hit modes.
- Direct Hit Mode: The missile lowers to a lower altitude and hits the target directly.
- Top assault mode: After launching, the missile must climb quickly to a specific altitude before descending to strike the target directly.
The Helina missile has an expanded strike range of around 8 km, compared to the Nag missile’s maximum range of 4 km.
