In a big boost to the capabilities of the armed forces, the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the Approval of Requirement (AoN) for procurement of equipment worth Rs 2.38 lakh crore. DAC has approved the procurement of major defense equipment like 60 Medium Transport Aircraft (MTAs) Indian Air Force (IAF) and five additional squadrons of the war tested the S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, Dhanush artillery gun and an air defense track system. The MTA will replace the aging AN-32 transport fleet of the Indian Air Force. The new aircraft is expected to carry a payload of between 18-30 tonnes. The aircraft is expected to bridge the capability gap between the IL-76 and AN-32. Of these aircraft, 12 will be acquired in fly-away condition while the remaining aircraft will be manufactured in India. The frontrunners in the race to replace this aircraft are the Brazilian Embraer C-390, which comes with a 26 tonne payload capacity, and the European Airbus A400M, which comes with a 37 tonne payload capacity. Lockheed Martin’s C-130J, an aircraft already operated by the Indian Air Force, is also in the field.Embraer has already partnered with Mahindra Aerospace. Airbus has not yet announced a domestic partner. These aircraft will replace the aging AN-32 in the transport fleet of the Indian Air Force. The new aircraft is expected to carry a payload of between 18-30 tonnes. The aircraft is expected to bridge the capability gap between the IL-76 and AN-32.Of these aircraft, 12 will be acquired in fly-away condition while the remaining aircraft will be manufactured in India. The frontrunners in the race to replace this aircraft are the Brazilian Embraer C-390, which comes with a 26 tonne payload capacity, and the European Airbus A400M, which comes with a 37 tonne payload capacity. Lockheed Martin’s C-130J, an aircraft already operated by the Indian Air Force, is also in the field. Embraer has already partnered with Mahindra Aerospace. Airbus has not yet announced a domestic partner.The IAF has also approved five additional squadrons of the S-400 SAM system. S-400 can hit targets up to 400 kilometers away. This missile was used during the active phase of Operation Sindoor and it shot down a Pakistani aircraft at a range of 300 kilometres, which is a world record. The IAF currently has three squadrons of the S-400 system, while two more squadrons are expected to be delivered this year.The apex procurement body of the Defense Ministry has also approved the procurement of 300 additional units of indigenously manufactured Dhanush artillery system. This is the next order of guns, earlier the army had 114 such guns. Procurement of armor piercing ammunition for tanks has already been approved.The Defense Minister has also approved the procurement of various types of drones, Al-31 jet engines for the Su-30 MKI fleet and heavy-duty hovercraft for the Coast Guard.Most new equipment such as these will go through a prescribed process as laid down under the Defense Acquisition Procedure 2020. These stages are Request for Proposal (RFP), followed by a series of technical, field and stall tests and evaluations. There will be price negotiations and approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by the Prime Minister before signing on the dotted line after the trials, a process that could drag on for years.AON has been granted by DAC for 55 proposals amounting to Rs 6.73 lakh crore in the financial year 2025-26. Besides, capital purchase contracts have been signed for 503 proposals worth Rs 2.28 lakh crore in the current financial year. Both the volume of AON granted and capital contracts signed are the highest in any financial year so far.