Indian weapons buyer approves $10B fund to equip military

NEW DELHI — India’s weapons buyer on Thursday approved a 843.28 billion rupees ($10.18 billion) budget for the acquisition of major weapons and platforms, most of which the government will spend locally in a bid to bolster the domestic defense manufacturing sector .

The Defence Ministry said in a statement that its Defence Acquisition Council backed the so-called acceptance of necessity proposal, which will see about 97.4% of the funds used to procure indigenous materiel. That type of proposal is the first stage for buying arms, per government regulations.

“This unprecedented initiative will not only modernise the armed forces but also provide a substantial boost to the defence industry to achieve the goal of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ or self-reliant India,” the ministry said.

The government is now expected to issue fresh tenders, followed by the selection of bidders, field trials of prototypes and existing systems, and ultimately the awarding of a contract. The induction of new arms would begin after 2030.

Under this latest budget, India is seeking light tanks, mounted gun systems, ballistic helmets for infantry troops and so-called futuristic infantry combat vehicles, the ministry said. The Army estimates it needs a total of 1,750 futuristic infantry combat vehicles, 350 light tanks and about 800 mounted gun systems.

No local company in India has ever built tanks, futuristic infantry combat vehicles, or 155mm/52-caliber mounted gun systems with fully indigenous technology.

The Indian Air Force is seeking air-to-ground next-generation anti-radiation missiles, long-range guided bombs, range-augmentation kits for conventional bombs, and advanced surveillance systems.

The Defence Acquisition Council also granted approval for new naval programs for anti-ship missiles, underwater autonomous vehicles and multipurpose vessels.

Similarly, the agency approved the procurement of an unspecified quantity of fully indigenous next-generation offshore patrol vessels for the Coast Guard.

In the 2021-2022 financial year, India bought 702. 21 billion rupees worth of locally made armaments from domestic defense contractors. During the 2022-2023 financial year, India has spent about 845.98 billion rupees on locally sourced materiel.

Vivek Raghuvanshi is the India correspondent for Defense News.

新德里——印度武器采购机构周四批准了一项8432.8亿卢比（101.8亿美元）的预算，用于采购主要武器和平台，其中大部分资金将用于国内，以期提振国内国防制造业。

国防部在一份声明中表示，其国防采购委员会支持所谓的“必要性采纳”方案，该方案将使约97.4%的资金用于采购国产装备。根据政府规定，此类方案是武器采购的第一阶段。

“这项史无前例的举措不仅将使武装部队现代化，还将极大地促进国防工业的发展，以实现‘自力更生印度’的目标，”国防部表示。

预计政府将发布新的招标公告，随后进行中标者遴选、原型机和现有系统的实地试验，最终授予合同。新武器的列装工作将于2030年后开始。

印度国防部表示，根据最新预算，印度正在寻求采购轻型坦克、车载火炮系统、步兵防弹头盔以及所谓的未来步兵战车。陆军估计总共需要1750辆未来步兵战车、350辆轻型坦克和约800套车载火炮系统。

印度本土公司从未完全采用自主技术制造过坦克、未来步兵战车或 155 毫米/52 口径车载火炮系统。

印度空军正在寻求下一代空对地反辐射导弹、远程制导炸弹、常规炸弹射程增强套件和先进的监视系统。

国防采购委员会还批准了新的海军项目，包括反舰导弹、水下自主航行器和多用途舰艇。

同样，该机构批准为海岸警卫队采购数量不详的完全国产的下一代近海巡逻舰。

在2021-2022财年，印度从国内国防承包商处购买了价值7022.1亿卢比的国产武器装备。在2022-2023财年，印度在国产物资上的支出约为8459.8亿卢比。

Vivek Raghuvanshi 是《国防新闻》的印度通讯员。