What can Rs 3.6 lakh crore buy? For 2026-27, the budget allocation for the entire defence sector was Rs 7.84 lakh crore or 14.7 per cent of the total budgetary allocation—the highest among all ministries.
In a landmark Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting on Thursday, the defence ministry’s apex procurement panel gave the green signal to a slew of buys that will cost the exchequer a total of Rs Rs 3.6 lakh crore.
For more defence news, views and updates, visit: Fortress India
But these factoids pale into insignificance when one looks at the import of what figured in the buy-list because of the immense force-multiplier impact.
The big ticket buys are, of course, the 114 Rafale Multi Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) for the Indian Air Force, six P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft, four MW Marine Gas Turbine-based Electric Power Generators, and Air-Ship Based High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (AS-HAPS).
Other items being cleared include those for the Army—an arsenal of missiles, anti-tank mines (Vibhav), allotment for overhaul of vehicle platforms of Armoured Recovery Vehicles (ARVs), T-72 Tanks and Infantry Combat Vehicles (BMP-II).
The DAC is headed by the defence minister.
In technical terms, the stage of the proposals put forward by the services is called the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) stage. These proposals will now be placed before the PM-headed Union Cabinet. Formal negotiations with the sellers will begin after the Cabinet’s go-ahead.
A defence ministry press release added, “The majority of MRFA to be procured will be manufactured in India. The combat missiles will enhance the stand-off ground attack capability with deep strike power and very high accuracy. The AS-HAPS will be utilised towards carrying out persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic intelligence, telecommunication and remote sensing for military purposes.”
The 114 fighters mean an additional six-seven fighter squadrons for the Indian Air Force (IAF), but even that is not enough to adequately equip the Indian Air Force (IAF) as per the required mandate. Needing to field at least 42 squadrons, the IAF has only about 30 squadrons—the lowest it has operated in decades.
The IAF already operates two Rafale squadrons, which proved its mettle during Operation Sindoor. These two squadrons are based in Ambala and Hashimara.
The Indian Navy has already ordered 26 additional Rafale-M (marine) variants, with the first delivery expected by 2030.
The Indian Navy already operates 12 P8I aircraft.
The versatile maritime surveillance aircraft P8I is deployed for an entire range of operations, from specific counter-insurgency operations to being deployed to keep an eye on the adversary in the oceans.
Having clocked much more than 40,000 mishap-free flight hours, the dozen-odd P-8I’s in the Indian Navy have completed more than a decade of deployment with the Indian Navy.
