India’s Defence Acquisition Council has cleared military purchase proposals worth about ₹2.12 lakh crore ($22.27 billion), the country’s defence ministry said on Monday, in one of the largest single modernisation packages approved for the armed forces. Around 82 per cent of the equipment is to be sourced from Indian industry.
The council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded Acceptance of Necessity to the proposals, the ministry said. The clearance is an in-principle administrative approval that starts the procurement process; it is not itself the award of contracts, which will follow through later stages including tenders and vendor selection.
FAKTA
- Value: About ₹2.12 lakh crore (2.12 trillion rupees), or $22.27 billion.
- Approved by: The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Monday, 26 October 2026.
- Indian industry share: Approximately 82 per cent of the procurements are to be made from Indian industry.
- Status: Acceptance of Necessity, an in-principle approval; contracts are yet to be awarded.
- Services covered: The Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.
India defence package: what the Army will get
For the Indian Army, the council cleared high-mobility vehicles, a self-propelled tracked gun system, a gun shot response system and light multi-role helicopters, the ministry said. It also cleared very short-range air defence systems, a platform-based counter-drone system, long-range unmanned aerial systems, surveillance drones, an integrated surveillance and strike system and long-range kamikaze drones.
The ministry said the high-mobility vehicles will improve logistics and movement in difficult terrain, while the tracked gun system will give mechanised formations matching mobility and firepower. The light multi-role helicopters will be used by both the Army and the Air Force for reconnaissance and surveillance, combat, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Navy and Air Force items
For the Indian Navy, approval was given for Active Offboard Decoy Systems, designed to protect ships against modern anti-ship missiles, along with other major naval platforms that will be indigenously designed and built, the ministry said.
For the Air Force, the package includes helicopters, air-defence systems, weapons and mobile X-band Doppler weather radar systems for high-resolution surveillance in forward areas. Special utility helicopters are intended to meet air-transport requirements.
Markets react to the India defence package
Defence company shares rallied in Mumbai on Tuesday after the announcement. Data Patterns, BEML and Unimech rose more than 9 per cent, while Hindustan Aeronautics and Bharat Electronics also advanced, according to market reports. The defence index climbed close to 8,907.90 before settling at 8,819.90.
Analysts cautioned that the eventual benefit to individual companies will depend on procurement allocations, tender participation and final contract awards, which are still to come. For more regional coverage, see the Asia news section.
