NEW DELHI: The defence ministry on Thursday gave the preliminary nod to a slew of military modernization projects, ranging from amphibious warfare ships and armed swarm drones to Russian S-400 air defence missiles and indigenous Nag anti-tank missile systems, collectively worth around Rs 79,000 crore ($9 billion).The biggest project to get the “acceptance of necessity” (AoN), which is the first step in the long-winded procurement process, from the Rajnath Singh-led defence acquisitions council (DAC) was for the construction of four large amphibious warfare ships or “landing platform docks (LPDs)” at a cost of Rs 33,000 crore.The LPDs, each with a displacement of over 20,000-tonne, will be built at an Indian shipyard to be selected after competitive bidding. “The LPDs will help the Navy undertake amphibious operations along with Army and IAF as well peacekeeping and disaster relief missions,” an official said.Another mega project to be cleared was the acquisition of a large number of surface-to-air missiles — with ranges of 120, 200, 250 and 380-km — for the S-400 Triumf air defence systems for over Rs 10,000 crore. “The large missile order will replenish as well as build reserves for the S-400 systems, which were a game-changer during the cross-border hostilities with Pakistan in May,” another official said. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh recently said the S-400 systems shot down “at least five high-tech Pakistani fighters in the F-16 and JF-17-class” in the air as well as an ELINT (electronic intelligence) or AEW&C (airborne early warning and control) aircraft in the “longest kill ever achieved” at a distance of 314-km during Operation Sindoor.IAF will next year get the last two of the five S-400 squadrons, ordered from Russia under the $5.43 billion (Rs 40,000 crore) contract in 2018, after a long delay due to the Russia-Ukraine war.With Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled to visit India in early-Dec, plans are being finalised to procure at least three more S-400 squadrons, as was reported earlier by TOI.Another significant Rs 5,500 crore acquisition is for swarm drones, with an over 1,000-km range, called the “collaborative long-range target saturation and destruction systems” under the ‘Make-II’ category, where prototype development is funded by the industry. “These systems will be capable of autonomous take-off, landing, navigating, detecting and delivering payload in the target areas like enemy airfields,” the official said.For the Army, AoNs were accorded for the procurement of 107 Nag Mark-2 missile (tracked) systems for around Rs 2,500 crore as well as ground-based mobile ELINT systems (GBMES) and high-mobility vehicles (HMVs) with cranes.“The NAMIS (tracked) will enhance the Army’s capability of neutralizing enemy tanks, combat vehicles, bunkers and other field fortifications. GBMES will provide round-the-clock electronic intelligence of enemy emitters. HMVs, in turn, will significantly improve logistical support in diverse geographical terrains,” the official said.Apart from LPDs, the Navy will also get 30mm surface guns at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore for low-intensity maritime operations and anti-piracy roles; advanced light-weight torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare; electro-optical infra-red search and track systems; and smart ammunition for 76mm super rapid gun mounts on warships.
