Drones, artillery guns and helicopters: DAC clears ₹2.12 lakh crore defence buys

The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, approved proposals worth ₹2.12 lakh crore. The package is designed to strengthen the combat readiness of the army, navy and air force. It covers weapons, vehicles, aircraft, ships, air-defence equipment and unmanned systems.

The package includes next-generation naval platforms, additional K9 Vajra-T artillery guns, high-mobility vehicles, helicopters, air-defence systems, kamikaze drones and surveillance platforms. The council also granted Acceptance of Necessity, or AoN, for several systems. AoN means the military has formally identified a requirement before procurement begins.

The ₹2.12 lakh crore figure represents the value of the approved proposals. It does not mean all equipment has been purchased, delivered or paid for. Around 82% of the hardware is expected to come from domestic industry, linking the acquisitions to India’s combat capability and manufacturing goals.

The ₹2.12 lakh crore package is exceptionally large against the comparisons provided. India’s defence production reached ₹1.78 lakh crore in financial year 2025-26. The new approval value is about 119% of that annual production figure, or roughly 1.2 times as large. These are different measures: one is approved procurement value, while the other is annual output.

Compared with the previous DAC round, the difference is even clearer. In September, the council cleared proposals worth ₹1.1 lakh crore. The latest round is ₹1.02 lakh crore higher and almost 1.9 times that amount. It is about 93% larger than the earlier round.

The scale signals a major pipeline of potential military acquisitions. Actual spending and delivery will depend on later procurement steps, contracts and production. The article does not give a completion timetable, so the figures show approval scale rather than immediate military deployment.

The systems cover nearly every major combat function. The navy is considering next-generation warships, an active off-board decoy system and other major naval platforms. The army’s list includes K9 Vajra-T self-propelled guns, high-mobility vehicles, VSHORADS, counter-drone equipment, surveillance systems and long-range kamikaze drones.

The helicopters include special utility helicopters for the IAF and light multi-role helicopters for the army and IAF. These aircraft are intended for reconnaissance, surveillance, combat, troop search and rescue, and humanitarian assistance. The army also has a gunshot response system and an integrated surveillance and strike system.

The IAF’s items include air-defence systems, weapons and a mobile X-band Doppler weather radar. The radar is meant to provide localised, high-resolution weather surveillance in forward areas. Together, the mix combines direct firepower, air protection, intelligence, transport, electronic defence and unmanned operations.

An Acceptance of Necessity, or AoN, is the first formal approval in India’s defence procurement process. It confirms that the armed forces have identified a requirement worth pursuing. In this case, the DAC granted AoN for helicopters, counter-drone equipment, a naval decoy system and other systems.

AoN does not itself buy or deliver equipment. It begins a longer process in which technical requirements are developed, vendors may be evaluated, equipment can be tested, and commercial terms are negotiated. The eventual process must lead to a contract before production and delivery can take place.

That distinction matters for the ₹2.12 lakh crore figure. The figure covers proposals cleared by the council, including items receiving AoN. It should therefore be read as the value of a procurement pipeline, not as completed spending. The article does not provide dates for contracts, deliveries or operational deployment.

The package targets practical battlefield problems. K9 self-propelled guns would give mechanised formations both mobility and firepower. High-mobility vehicles would improve logistics and movement in challenging terrain. Helicopters would support reconnaissance, combat, troop search and rescue, and humanitarian relief missions.

Protection is another major theme. VSHORADS would help the army engage new-generation small aerial threats. A counter-unmanned aerial system would improve tank survivability. For the navy, an active off-board decoy would strengthen anti-missile defence, especially against modern anti-ship missiles. Drones would expand surveillance and strike options.

The air force would gain air-defence systems, weapons and weather surveillance for forward areas. Together, these capabilities could connect movement, firepower, warning and protection across the services. They would improve operational readiness, but the article does not state when the approved systems will enter service or how many will be acquired.

The government is requiring around 82% domestic sourcing to connect defence purchases with Indian industrial growth. Domestic production can build manufacturing capacity, support suppliers and retain more defence spending within the country. It also fits the stated priority of expanding India’s defence manufacturing sector.

The latest package includes indigenously designed and constructed major naval platforms. The ministry said these ships would have modern warfare capabilities and strengthen the navy. Other purchases, including guns, vehicles, helicopters, drones and air-defence systems, would create demand across different parts of the defence industry.

India’s defence production reached ₹1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, up from ₹1.54 lakh crore the previous year. The government wants production to reach ₹3 lakh crore and exports ₹50,000 crore by 2029-30. The article does not detail how each contract will be divided among companies, so the exact industrial impact remains unspecified.

A modern military begins with a clear operational need. Research and development then turn that need into a workable design. Manufacturing converts the design into reliable equipment. Procurement provides the formal approvals, competition, contracts and funding needed to acquire it. The article’s AoN process represents this early procurement stage.

Combat power appears when equipment works as part of a wider system. K9 guns need mobile formations, ammunition, trained crews and logistics. Helicopters need pilots, maintenance and support. Drones and air-defence systems need surveillance, operators and rapid decisions. The article highlights these links through mobility, firepower, reconnaissance, surveillance and logistics support.

The current approvals expand that pipeline across all three services. Domestic sourcing may strengthen production capacity, while indigenous naval design supports national capability. Yet the article does not describe training plans or maintenance arrangements. Those stages remain essential before approved systems can produce their full operational effect.