Defence Ministry inks MoUs worth Rs 39,125cr to procure military equipment

New Delhi, March 1 (IANS) Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Friday said that it has signed five major capital acquisition contracts worth Rs 39,125.39 crore to procure military equipment which includes procurement of Aero-engines for MiG-29 aircraft, Close-in Weapon System (CIWS), high-power radar and ship-borne BrahMos system.

The ministry said that out of the five contracts, one has been signed with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for procurement of Aero-engines for MiG-29 aircraft; two contracts have been signed with Larsen and Toubro Limited for procurement of CIWS and procurement of High-Power Radar (HPR); while two more contracts have been signed with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) for procurement of BrahMos missiles and procurement of ship-borne BrahMos system.

The contract for RD-33 Aero-engines for MiG-29 aircraft has been signed for Rs 5,249.72 crore. These aero-engines will be produced by the Koraput Division of HAL.

“These Aero-engines are expected to fulfill the need of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to sustain the operational capability of the MiG-29 fleet for the residual service life,” the ministry said.

It said that the Aero-engines will be manufactured under a Transfer of Technology (TOT) license from the Russian OEM.

“It would help increase the indigenous content of future Repair and Overhaul (ROH) tasks of RD-33 Aero-engines,” the ministry said.

The contract for procurement of CIWS has been signed for Rs 7,668.82 crore. CIWS will provide terminal Air Defence to select locations in the country. The project will boost and encourage active participation of Indian aerospace, defence and associated industries including MSMEs.

“The direct and indirect employment generated by this project would be approximately an average of 2,400 persons per year over five years,” the ministry said.

The contract for procurement of HPR has been signed for Rs 5,700.13 crore. It will replace existing long-range radars of lAF with modern Active Aperture Phased Array-based HPR with advanced surveillance features.

“It will significantly enhance the terrestrial Air Defence capabilities of IAF with the integration of sophisticated sensors capable of detection of small Radar Cross Section targets,” the ministry said.

The contract for the procurement of BrahMos missiles has been signed for Rs 19,518.65 crore.

“This project is likely to generate employment of nine lakh man-days in Joint Venture entity and around 135 lakh man-days in ancillary industries (including MSMEs) of the country,” the ministry said.

The contract for procurement of ship-borne BrahMos system has also been signed with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) for Rs 988.07 crore. This system is the Navy's primary weapon for maritime strike operations fitted onboard various frontline warships.

“The system is capable of hitting land or sea targets from extended ranges with pinpoint accuracy at supersonic speeds,” the ministry said.

The contracts were exchanged in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane.

The ministry said that these deals will further strengthen indigenous capabilities, save foreign exchange and reduce dependency on foreign-origin equipment manufacturers in future.