The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meet in South Block is usually a monthly affair.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meet in South Block is usually a monthly affair. With the last two DACs having been missed, all eyes are set keenly on Saturday’s meeting when the government is expected to deliberate and decide on quite a few major deals.
In the reckoning are government-to-government deals between India and the United States on howitzers and drones. Interestingly, with the overarching shadow of the vexed Bofors howitzers scam, India has not bought this critical piece of equipment since the mid-1980s. If okayed, this deal will come with a sweetener: with state-of-the art howitzers now much more mobile and user-friendly, this will come in handy in the hostile terrain of the Himalayas where the Army has to be on guard against both Pakistan and China.
Another key piece of equipment that can be cleared is the Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV), prevalent restrictions on which have been lifted after India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime.
The Predator and the Reaper are the most well-known US drones after their big ‘kill’ numbers in Iraq and the Af-Pak region. While maritime reconnaissance may be the cited Indian aim, the top echelons of government will have to decide where they may be put to use, given the collateral damage that UCAVs can inflict.
The Navy’s wish-list is a fairly long one too: specialised vessels for the MARCOS commandos, mini-submarines and approvals for equipping the Delhi and Talwar class of destroyers and frigates with Brahmos missiles, among others.
Russian S400 Triumph missile defence systems are also being looked at for the Air Force. In all, a massive Rs 70,000 crore spend is being envisaged. But what shape it actually assumes in the backdrop of the ‘Make in India’ effort and defence minister Manohar Parrikar’s exhortations to the armed forces to tighten purse strings, is what Saturday’s DAC is likely to reveal.
