समाचार Samāchār · India · 27 October 2026

DAC clears ₹2.12 lakh crore of defence buys, with 82% to come from Indian industry

The Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Rajnath Singh approved drones, counter-drone systems, guns, helicopters and air defence for all three services. About 82% of the value is to be sourced in India.

India has put its defence money behind its own factories again. The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Monday granted Acceptance of Necessity to capital proposals worth about ₹2.12 lakh crore. The defence ministry said about 82% of the procurement will be sourced from Indian industry.

The Army list is long and modern. It covers high mobility vehicles, a self-propelled tracked gun system, a gunshot response system and light multi-role helicopters. It adds very short-range air defence, platform-based counter-drone systems, long-range unmanned aerial systems, surveillance UAVs, an integrated surveillance and strike system and long-range kamikaze drones. The Navy gets an active offboard decoy system and other major platforms. The Air Force gets helicopters including special utility helicopters, air defence systems, weapons and mobile X-band Doppler weather radars.

Acceptance of Necessity is the first gate. It is not a signed contract. Each proposal must still pass trials, cost negotiation and the acquisition procedure before money moves. The value of the approval is in the signal it sends to industry about what the forces will buy.

The direction is right. Recent conflicts have been decided by drones, counter-drone systems and air defence. This list puts them first. Sourcing 82% at home builds the base India needs for self-reliance by the 2030s. Co-production fills the gaps until then. Credit goes to the ministry, the three services and the Indian firms whose products now qualify. The test is speed. The sooner these approvals become contracts and deliveries, the sooner Indian makers can scale and export.

What a founder takes from it: This is an order book for Indian manufacturers, and drones and counter-drone systems sit at the top of it. Founders in defence electronics, autonomy and sensors should prepare for trials and volume now. The contracts come next.