Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday chaired her first meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) and reviewed the capital acquisition schemes for military modernisation.
The meeting accorded ‘Acceptance of Necessity’ to the Navy for buying upgraded sonars for its destroyers and frigates through the Buy India (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) route at a cost of ₹200 crore. “These sonars are designed, developed and manufactured indigenously by the DRDO and the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory, Kochi, and will provide a significant boost to the Navy’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement. The DAC also cleared procurement of missiles for the Navy.
The Minister directed that the capital acquisition schemes be meticulously monitored and brought to maturity within time lines. “The Minister stated that the DAC meetings are to be conducted once in a fortnight to speed up capability development of the Armed Forces,” the statement said.
