One very interesting development coming out of India's defence sector right now — Defence Ministry is set to hold major Defence Acquisition Council meeting on July 3 ,and this one is carrying lot of weight because it's happening after prolonged gap of several months.
And what makes it even more significant is the timing . This will be first DAC meeting for newly appointed leadership — Chief of Defence Staff Gen Raja Subramani,Army Chief Gen Dhiraj Seth,and Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan all sitting together for this gathering . Not small occasion at all.
Several big proposals are sitting on agenda for this meeting . Most notable among them is acquisition of HAMMER air-to-ground precision guided munitions for Rafale and LCA Tejas aircraft,along with Verba very short-range air defence systems . Indian Air Force is reportedly planning to procure 600 HAMMER missiles from Bharat Electronics Limited under Make in India initiative.
These HAMMER munitions were first procured under emergency powers after Galwan clashes with China back in 2020 . Now production will happen in collaboration with French manufacturer Safran . Significant portion will be allocated for Rafale and LCA Tejas jets of Indian Air Force,while Navy's own Rafale Marine aircraft will also be equipped .
Three key items standing out clearly from what's been reported:
- HAMMER missile acquisition — 600 missiles to be procured from Bharat Electronics Limited,enhancing strike capabilities of Indian Air Force and Navy.
- Indigenous MP-ATGM induction — DRDO-developed Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile system to be acquired with 100 launchers,2300 missiles,and five simulators produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited.
- Upgrade of air defence systems — Indian Army set to acquire Verba missile systems produced by Indian firm AdDefence Limited.
The MP-ATGM piece is honestly one of more quietly important parts of this whole meeting . DRDO has developed this system indigenously and Indian Army is expected to receive significant quantities . Numbers being discussed — 100 launchers,2300 missiles,five simulators — suggest this is serious induction,not symbolic gesture.
Beyond these three headline proposals,DAC is also expected to discuss advanced software-defined radios,kamikaze drones,enhanced drone detection systems… and even deliberations around procurement of Scorpene class submarines for bolstering naval capabilities . That's lot of ground to cover in single sitting .
Honestly,this meeting feels like one of those moments where years of planning either move forward or get stuck again in delays . New leadership,long pending proposals,indigenous production push all converging at same time is not something that happens frequently .
And considering how India's security environment has evolved since 2020 — especially along northern borders — getting these systems cleared and into production pipeline matters quite seriously . Every month of delay in these acquisitions has real operational meaning .
What remains unclear is how many of these proposals will actually get formal Acceptance of Necessity approval versus how many will just get discussed and pushed to next meeting… because that's always been pattern with large procurement decisions in India's defence system,and whether new leadership changes that dynamic is something only time will show
