DAC Clears Rs 2.12 Lakh Crore Defence Acquisition Proposals

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), with Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh in the chair, met on 26 October 2026 and granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to a set of capital acquisition proposals of the three Services. The proposals carry an estimated cost of roughly Rs 2,12,000 crore, that is about Rs 2.12 lakh crore. An AoN is the in-principle administrative clearance that lets a proposal enter the procurement cycle; the contract itself follows later.

What the Army will get

The largest share of the clearance covers equipment for the Indian Army. Mobility, firepower, air defence and drone warfare all figure in the list.

• High Mobility Vehicles (HMV) to carry troops and stores and strengthen logistics in difficult terrain.
• A Self-Propelled Tracked Gun System, so that artillery can keep pace with mechanised formations.
• The Gun Shot Response System (GSRS), treated as a force multiplier because it gives commanders real-time awareness of incoming fire.
• Light Multi Role Helicopters (LMRH), which both the Army and the Air Force will fly for reconnaissance, combat, search and rescue of troops, and relief work after disasters.
• Very Short-Range Air Defence Systems (VSHORADS) against the newer generation of small aerial targets.

Counter-drone and surveillance systems

Drones appear on both sides of the list. A Platform Based Counter Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) was cleared to improve how well tanks survive on a battlefield crowded with hostile drones. On the offensive side the Army will acquire a long-range unmanned aerial system in the Brick class, a surveillance UAV, an integrated surveillance and strike system, and a long-range kamikaze drone system. Together these are meant to sharpen the Army's ability to find a target and hit it.

Navy and Air Force

For the Indian Navy the Council approved the Active Offboard Decoy System (AODS), which strengthens anti-missile defence against modern anti-ship missiles, along with other major naval platforms that are designed and built in India. The Indian Air Force gets helicopters, air defence systems and weapons, together with a Mobile X-Band Doppler Weather Radar System that will give high-resolution local weather pictures in forward areas. Special Utility Helicopters in the same approval will take care of air transport tasks.

The indigenous share

About 82 per cent of the approved procurement is to be sourced from Indian industry, which keeps the clearance in line with the push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing.