The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, approved three proposals on Thursday, July 13, 2023 to boost the Indian Navy’s operational capabilities.

According to a press release by the Ministry of Defence, the DAC under its first proposal, granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft 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).

Under the second proposal, DAC granted the AoN for procurement of three additional Scorpene submarines under Buy (Indian) category which will be constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). 

The procurement 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.

Lastly, DAC 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/equipment through indigenous manufacturing.