India Approves Rs79,000 Crore Defence AoNs Including LPDs

The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Rajnath Singh, approved about Rs 79,000 crore in preliminary “Acceptance of Necessity” (AoN) procurements covering missiles, surveillance systems, amphibious vessels, drones, torpedoes, vehicles and other warfighting systems. The largest single AoN is for four indigenous Landing Platform Docks (each over 20,000 tonnes) at roughly Rs 33,000 crore to boost amphibious, joint, peacekeeping and disaster‑relief capabilities. Army approvals include the tracked Nag Mk‑II (NAMIS) anti‑tank system, ground‑based mobile ELINT systems and high‑mobility logistics vehicles. Navy buys cover 30mm naval surface guns, electro‑optical/IR search‑and‑track systems, smart ammunition and DRDO‑developed advanced lightweight torpedoes. The Air Force approvals include collaborative long‑range strike systems, long‑range drones that can pair with manned fighters, and replenishment missiles for S‑400 batteries. Most projects emphasize Make in India production with selected foreign collaborations (for example, electric‑propulsion expertise for the LPDs), and the MoD released a streamlined Defence Procurement Manual to speed and widen procurement for private firms, with the AoNs marking an acceleration of India’s multi‑domain modernization while retaining strategic ties with partners such as Russia.