Overview
- The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Rajnath Singh, granted Acceptance of Necessity for proposals across the Army, Navy and Air Force worth about ₹79,000 crore, a step that enables but does not finalize contracts.
- For the Army, approvals cover loiter munition systems, low‑level light‑weight radars, long‑range guided rockets for Pinaka, and the Integrated Drone Detection & Interdiction System Mk‑II to bolster precision strikes and counter small drones.
- The Navy secured AoN for bollard‑pull tugs, high‑frequency software‑defined radio manpacks and the leasing of HALE remotely piloted aircraft systems to provide persistent ISR and strengthen maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Region.
- The Air Force will move forward on an automatic take‑off and landing recording system to improve flight safety, Astra Mk‑II beyond‑visual‑range missiles, a full‑mission simulator for LCA Tejas and SPICE‑1000 guidance kits for long‑range precision strikes.
- According to reporting, Astra Mk‑II is being developed for ranges beyond 200 km with a large IAF buy planned, Pinaka guided rockets are targeted to extend to roughly 120 km with DRDO tests in 2026, and separate sourcing indicates a short‑term lease of two additional MQ‑9B drones; these details have not been formally announced by the ministry.