Defence council clears Rs 1.10 lakh crore of buys, including a 300 km Sukhoi missile trial

The Defence Acquisition Council gave in-principle approval on 7 September to a fresh list of capital buys worth about Rs 1,10,000 crore. Rajnath Singh chaired the sitting. The ministry said about 98 percent of the work is to be placed with Indian industry.

Acceptance of Necessity is the first formal step in the capital process. It does not by itself place an order. It lets the services write detailed specifications, run trials and open commercial negotiation. The Economic Times noted that the sitting takes this year's cleared proposals to about Rs 1.6 lakh crore, and the stock of proposals cleared since 2025 to about Rs 13 lakh crore.

What the Army asked for

The official statement named six Army lines. Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear recce vehicles are to detect, identify, mark and watch contaminated ground. High Mobility Vehicles are to move troops and stores on poor tracks. Self-propelled mechanical mine layers are to put mines down quickly on broken ground. Advanced Light Helicopters are listed for both the Army and the Air Force. Trawl tanks and the Sarvatra Bridge System are to give fighting formations a crossing when a river or ditch sits in the way.

The Sarvatra system, already in limited service, uses a modified Tatra T-815 8x8 chassis. A single 15-metre section can be launched in about 15 minutes. A 75-metre span takes 100 to 150 minutes. That figure is what makes the system useful on the plains and in the high Himalaya, where a formation cannot wait a night for a Bailey crew.

Navy radars and a home-built turbine

The Navy received two AoNs. Arudhra radars are to replace the present air-route surveillance radars at naval air stations. The second file is design, development and later purchase of marine gas turbines for warship propulsion. The ministry wrote that the turbine work is meant to cut dependence on foreign vendors. India still buys a large share of its naval propulsion kit abroad. A domestic turbine, if it reaches series production, would sit beside the existing effort on marine diesels and electric drive.

Air Force fighters, jammers and a smart identity card

The Air Force list is written in two layers. The public statement speaks of proposals to raise the fighting value of fighters, transports and helicopters, plus a Ground-Based Multi-Purpose Jammer and a Defence Forces Secure Access Card. The jammer is to work against hostile radars. The card system is to replace paper identity cards, passes and permits with an interoperable radio-frequency smart card that all three services can read.

Reporting after the sitting filled in the fighter line. The Tribune and people who spoke to the Economic Times said a first phase will modify Sukhoi Su-30 MKI jets so they can carry the Russian RVV-BD air-to-air missile. The missile is listed with a reach of more than 300 kilometres and a speed above Mach 5. ThePrint separately reported an overhaul of 40 Su-30 MKIs, a periodic rebuild that restores flying hours rather than adding a new weapon.

The IAF has more than 260 Su-30 MKIs. The type already carries the BrahMos cruise missile for land and sea strikes. Pairing that load with a 300-kilometre air-to-air shot would let one aircraft hold both a ground target and a distant fighter or large drone. The ministry did not put the missile name in the official note. Integration still has to pass flight trials.

Where the money sits

AoN is not a cheque. Contracts will follow only after qualitative requirements, field evaluation and price negotiation. The 98 percent Indian-industry figure is the political point the ministry wanted on the record. It does not mean every sensor and seeker is made in India. Russian missiles, if bought, would still arrive as imported rounds even if the aircraft modification is done at a Hindustan Aeronautics line.

The sitting comes weeks after corps-level talks with China in Arunachal Pradesh and while West Asian fighting keeps oil and spare-parts routes under strain. The list itself is a mix of unglamorous kit (mine layers, identity cards, recce vehicles) and one high-visibility fighter upgrade. The first group is what a formation uses every day. The second is what will be watched when the next contract notice appears.

Readers who already saw the ministry's four-paragraph note still need the split between what Delhi put on paper and what officers described afterwards. The paper names CBRN vehicles, Arudhra, marine turbines, a jammer and a smart card. The officers name a 300-kilometre missile on a Su-30 and a 40-jet overhaul. Both can be true. Only the first set is signed.