During its first meet since the launch of Operation Sindoor, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for Recovery Vehicles, Electronic Warfare System, Integrated Common Inventory Management System for the Tri-Services and Surface-to-Air Missiles. The DAC on Thursday, 3 July 2025, cleared capital acquisition proposals worth nearly ₹1.05 lakh crore as the nation’s military seeks to onboard new defence equipment.
As per an official statement, the ten capital acquisition proposals are set to be carried out through indigenous sourcing from Indian companies. “These procurements will provide higher mobility, effective air defence, better supply chain management and augment the operational preparedness of the Armed Forces,” the Ministry of Defence said in the official statement.
Naval Preparedness
The Defence Ministry also cleared the AoNs for the procurement of Moored Mines, Mine Counter Measure Vessels, Super Rapid Gun Mount and Submersible Autonomous Vessels, as the government seeks to mitigate the potential risks posed to the Naval and merchant vessels of India.
“To provide further impetus to indigenous design and development, AoNs were accorded under the Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) category,” said the ministry.
The Defence Ministry also cleared the AoNs for the procurement of Moored Mines, Mine Counter Measure Vessels, Super Rapid Gun Mount and Submersible Autonomous Vessels, as the government seeks to mitigate the potential risks posed to the Naval and merchant vessels of India
Reportedly, the Ministry of Defence in June 2025 was planning to review a ₹30,000 crore proposal to procure three regiments of the indigenous Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM) system for the Indian Army
Reportedly, the Ministry of Defence in June 2025 was planning to review a ₹30,000 crore proposal to procure three regiments of the indigenous Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM) system for the Indian Army.
On March 28, 2025 the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the biggest-ever deal to buy 156 Light Combat Helicopters worth over ₹62,000 crore for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
The Defence Ministry will also buy the helicopters named ‘Prachand’ from HAL at a cost of ₹62,700 crore to improve the nation’s military. Prachand is a Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), which is developed in India, and is the nation’s first indigenously designed and developed combat helicopter.
The acquisition of mine countermeasure vessels (MCMVs) or minesweepers for the Indian Navy at an estimated cost of around ₹44,000 crore is the most significant proposal cleared by the DAC — India’s apex military procurement body, officials aware of the matter said.
The development is significant as the navy currently does not operate even a single minesweeper, with the last in a fleet of six such vessels (bought from the erstwhile Soviet Union in the late 1970s) being de-commissioned six years ago. The navy plans to buy 12 MCMVs from Indian shipyards to strengthen its mine-warfare capabilities.
Apart from the minesweepers, the DAC also accorded AoN for moored mines, super rapid gun mount and submersible autonomous vessels. “These procurements will enable mitigation of potential risks posed to the naval and merchant vessels,” the defence ministry said in a statement. The latest attempt to buy the MSMVs comes after at least three failed attempts during the last 17-18 years.
On March 28, 2025 the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the biggest-ever deal to buy 156 Light Combat Helicopters worth over ₹62,000 crore for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd
Two years ago, the navy indicated that the MSMV order could be split between the lowest and the second-lowest bidding shipyards in the ratio of 8:4. To be sure, the navy will induct the first MSMV at least seven years after a contract is signed, with the remaining to join service over six to seven years thereafter, the officials said, asking not to be named.
Also cleared by the ministry was the Super Rapid Gun Mount, a naval artillery system that can target both aerial and surface threats, and Submersible Autonomous Vessels—unmanned platforms that conduct undersea surveillance, mine detection, and anti-submarine operations with minimal risk to personnel.
For the Army, the DAC also approved Armoured Recovery Vehicles used to tow and repair damaged tanks and heavy vehicles in the field, vital for maintaining mobility in combat zones. New Electronic Warfare systems were also cleared, which will help the armed forces to detect, disrupt and shield against hostile communications and radar, a key advantage in contemporary high-tech warfare.
A major tri-services system cleared under this package is the Integrated Common Inventory Management System (ICIMS), a unified logistics platform aimed at streamlining the storage and movement of critical supplies across the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The system is expected to cut redundancy and improve supply chain efficiency.
Meanwhile, in a candid assessment of Operation Sindoor, Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development & Sustenance), has said that there are multiple lessons to be learnt from the 87-hour Operation Sindoor, with the biggest lesson being that while there was just one border, there were a minimum of three adversaries
The DAC has cleared the proposals under Buy Indian-IDDM-indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured category. It is the most important category of acquisition for indigenisation under the defence procurement policy. IDDM stands for.
The council’s approval for the new weapons and systems comes at a critical moment as the defence ministry said on June 19 that it has set up a high-powered committee, headed by the director general (acquisition), to steer a comprehensive review of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 for speedy modernisation of the armed forces and boosting self-reliance in the critical sectors.
The aim of the review, the ministry said, is to meet the operational requirements and modernisation needs of the armed forces in a timely manner to ensure national security and achieve Aatmanirbharta goals by promoting technology infusion through indigenously designed and developed systems.
It also seeks to boost the Make-in-India initiative by promoting defence manufacturing through facilitation of joint ventures and transfer of technology for the private sector, encouraging foreign original equipment manufacturers to invest in the country and establish India as a global defence manufacturing and MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) hub.
Meanwhile, in a candid assessment of Operation Sindoor, Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development & Sustenance), has said that there are multiple lessons to be learnt from the 87-hour Operation Sindoor, with the biggest lesson being that while there was just one border, there were a minimum of three adversaries.
So far, the Indian leadership has been trying to downplay the involvement of the Chinese in the conflict. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan had said on May 31, that while Pakistan may have leveraged Chinese commercial satellite imagery, there is no proof of real-time targeting support
Speaking at the event ‘New Age Military Technologies’ in New Delhi, organised by FICCI on Friday (July 4), Lt Gen Singh said, “First, one border, two adversaries. So, we saw Pakistan on one side, but adversaries were two, actually four, or let’s say three.”
Further explaining his statement, he added, “Pakistan was the front face. We had China providing all possible support. This is no surprise because if you look at statistics, in the last five years, 81 percent of the military hardware that Pakistan is getting is all Chinese. China, of course, the good old dictum, killed by a borrowed knife…So, he would rather use the neighbour to cause pain than get involved in the mud-slinging match on the northern borders.”
China has been able to test its weapons against others, he said. “So, it’s like a live lab available to them. It is something that we have to be very cognizant about. Turkey also played an important role in providing the type of support it did…” he said on the use of Turkish drones of various kinds by the Pakistani military.
Lt Gen Singh also spoke about what has emerged as one of the primary concerns within the defence and security establishment—China using its satellites to monitor Indian military deployment. “The next important lesson is the importance of C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) and civil military fusion. There is a lot to be done as far as this domain is concerned.”
Based on the remarks made by Lt Gen Singh, it would not be wrong to infer that the top brass of the Indian Army is aware of the perceived threat of a two-theatre war involving Pakistan and China, in future. That may not be just China supporting Pakistan clandestinely, but opening a front against India in the eastern sector
“When DGMO-level talks were on, Pakistan actually was mentioning that we know that your such and such vector was primed and ready for action, and we would request you to perhaps pull it back. So, he was getting live inputs from China. That is one place we really need to move fast and take appropriate action,” the Deputy Chief said.
So far, the Indian leadership has been trying to downplay the involvement of the Chinese in the conflict. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan had said on May 31 that while Pakistan may have leveraged Chinese commercial satellite imagery, there is no proof of real-time targeting support.
Lt Gen Singh said that “thankfully our population centres were not quite at risk” during Operation Sindoor.
“In the next round, we will have to be prepared for that. For that increased air defence, more counter rockets, artillery, and drone sort of systems must be prepared for which we must move very, very fast,” he noted, while admitting that while indigenous systems did very well, some did not.
Based on the remarks made by Lt Gen Singh, it would not be wrong to infer that the top brass of the Indian Army is aware of the perceived threat of a two-theatre war involving Pakistan and China, in future. That may not be just China supporting Pakistan clandestinely, but opening a front against India in the eastern sector.
In this scenario, the political leadership should also be in tune with military’s top brass and should not miscalculate the Pakistani strategy, based on lesson learnt from the past. Previously, Pakistan Army has always triggered a low intensity conflict, followed by a period of talks or peace and then after a while opening a bigger front.
The Indian political and military leadership should prepare for such a scenario and in the meanwhile try to equip the tri-services with the latest armaments including missiles, vessels and armaments for the navy and fighter planes for the air force. The focus should be on to get most of the ambitious purchase list for armaments procured indigenously, thus giving a boost to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat initiatives
The Indian political and military leadership should prepare for such a scenario and in the meanwhile try to equip the tri-services with the latest armaments including missiles, vessels and armaments for the navy and fighter planes for the air force. The focus should be on to get most of the ambitious purchase list for armaments procured indigenously, thus giving a boost to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat initiatives. Remember, our military commanders have themselves said that Operation Sindoor is not over yet and we should continue to act judiciously and swiftly, with that mindset only.
-The writer is a New Delhi-based senior commentator on international and strategic affairs, environmental issues, an interfaith practitioner, and a media consultant. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily carry the views of Raksha Anirveda
