NEW DELHI: India plans to ink at least four mega defence deals for fighters, submarines, helicopters and artillery guns, collectively worth over Rs 1.5 lakh crore, before this fiscal ends on March 31, as part of the long-term plan to boost the firepower and combat capabilities of the armed forces.
The first off the block will be the around Rs 63,000 crore contract with France for the direct acquisition of 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets, which will operate from the deck of indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, defence sources told TOI.
The deal for the 22 single-seat maritime jets and four twin-seat trainers for the Navy, along with weapons, simulators, crew training and five-year performance-based logistics support as well as spares for the 36 Rafales already inducted by the IAF, is now headed for the final nod from the PM-led cabinet committee on security (CCS), the sources added.
Another major deal with France will be the Rs 38,000 crore one for three additional Scorpene diesel-electric submarines, with air-independent propulsion (AIP) for longer underwater endurance, to be built at the Mumbai-based Mazagon Docks (MDL).
The three new boats — with the first slated to roll out by 2031, followed by the other two at intervals of a year each — will add to the six Scorpene or Kalvari-class submarines already built at MDL under the over Rs 23,000 crore ‘Project-75’. The sixth submarine ‘Vagsheer’ is slated to be commissioned, along with guided-missile destroyer Surat and stealth frigate Nilgiri, by PM Narendra Modi on Jan 15.
“The Rafale deal is likely to be cleared by the CCS before this month ends, and will be followed by the Scorpene deal soon after,” a source said. Modi, incidentally, is slated to visit France for the Artificial Intelligence Summit on Feb 11 and 12.
The other two mega deals are for 156 indigenous Prachand light combat helicopters for around Rs 53,000 crore and 307 indigenous advanced towed artillery gun systems (ATAGS) for Rs 8,500 crore.
The 156 new Prachand helicopters (90 for Army, 66 IAF), which are capable of offensive operations in high-altitude areas like Siachen Glacier and eastern Ladakh, will be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. They will add to the 15 such choppers (10 IAF and five Army) already inducted under a Rs 3,887 crore contract inked in 2022.
The ATAGS designed and developed by DRDO, which is touted to have a strike range up to 48 km, in turn, will be produced by Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems.
With Bharat Forge emerging as the L-1 (lowest bidder), it will manufacture 60% of the guns, while Tata will produce the rest 40%. The order for 307 ATAGS is likely to go up in the future because the Army plans to induct “more advanced versions” for a total requirement of 1,580 such guns.
“The aim is to sign all the four deals within this fiscal. Work is also underway to revise the Defence Acquisition Procedure-2020 to further cut down procurement timelines, streamline processes and provide a level playing field to all,” another source said.
