Defence Acquisition Council gives nod to procurement of Rafale-Marine jets, three more scorpene submarines

New Delhi [India], July 13 : Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft for the Indian Navy.

DAC, which held a meeting here on Thursday, also granted the AoN for the procurement of three additional Scorpene submarines under Buy (Indian) category which will be constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL).

A Defence Ministry release said acceptance of Necessity for Rafale Marine aircraft has been approved along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support for the Indian Navy from the French Government based on Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA).

It said price and other terms of purchase will be negotiated with the French Government after taking into account all relevant aspects, including comparative procurement price of similar aircraft by other countries.

Further, the integration of Indian-designed equipment and establishment of a Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) Hub for various systems will be incorporated into the contract documents after due negotiations.

The release said that the DAC also approved the proposal to lay down guidelines for achieving the desired indigenous content in all categories of capital acquisition cases.

“It will help in achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in critical manufacturing technologies and life-cycle sustenance of defence platforms and equipment through indigenous manufacturing,” the release said.

The release said procurement of additional submarines, with higher indigenous content, will not only help in maintaining required force level and operational readiness of the Indian Navy, but also create significant employment opportunities in the domestic sector.

It will also help the MDL in further enhancing its capability and expertise in submarine construction, it added.