Defence Acquisition Council approves ₹52,000 crore worth military purchase

📌 Summary:

• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for proposals worth nearly ₹52,000 crore (July 3, 2026)
• The approvals aim to enhance operational capability of the Army, Navy and Air Force
• Army acquisitions include the Anti-UAV Electronic Warfare System "Akash Tarang", Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (MPATGM), Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM), Very Short Range Air Defence Systems (V-SHORADS), tank Active Protection Systems and jet-based Kamikaze drones
• The strong tilt toward counter-drone and air-defence systems reflects lessons from recent conflicts and the Atmanirbhar Bharat defence-indigenisation push

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 (defence modernisation and indigenisation, internal and external security, application of technology)

📝 Prelims Facts:

• DAC is the highest decision-making body of the Ministry of Defence for capital acquisitions; chaired by the Defence Minister
• Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) is the first stage of the defence procurement cycle
• MRSAM was jointly developed by DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)

🔑 Key Term: Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) — the DAC's initial approval that a capability acquisition is required, which formally starts the procurement process.