Last year, the armed forces linked contracts totaling almost £2.35 billion under emergency capital procurements to close crucial operational gaps in the midst of the ongoing military conflict with China in eastern Ladakh, which is now in its fourth year.
The emergency procurements (EPs) cover a wide range of items, such as radars, loiter and precision-guided munitions, drones, counter-drone systems, satellite and other communication systems, radars, and surveillance equipment. They also cover personal protection gear, all-terrain vehicles, and high-mobility reconnaissance vehicles.
“The revenue EPs, which are also substantial, are separate. EPs followed a fast-track procedure. They are different from big capital acquisition cases that follow the normal long-winded procurement procedure,” a defence establishment source said.
The armed forces have reason to be pleased. The Army alone chalked up over 70 capital acquisition deals worth nearly £1.1 billion in the EP-4 tranche from September 2022 to September 2023. The IAF, in turn, inked 65 contracts worth over £800 million, while it was 35 cases worth £450 million for the Navy in this timeframe, sources said.
Interestingly, unlike the first three tranches that also saw deals with countries like Russia, Israel and France, the last EP-4 was reserved for procurements only from domestic manufacturers.
Other than domestic sources, the EPs previously included Israeli 'Heron' Mark-2 unmanned aerial vehicles and 'Spike' anti-tank guided missiles as well as French 'Hammer' air-to-ground precision-guided munitions for the new Rafale fighter jets. These weapons are designed to destroy bunkers and hardened shelters at a range of 20 to 70 km.