NEW DELHI: In a major boost to 'Make in India' in the defence sector, the Indian Army has sent proposals worth around Rs 14,000 crore to acquire two regiments of the Akash-S air defence missile system and 25 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALHs).

At present, the proposal for this purchase is with the Ministry of Defence. It is expected that it will be approved in the high level meeting to be chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The Akash-S missile system is a modern version of the Akash missile capable of shooting down any enemy ship or cruise missile from a range of 25-30 km.

The specialty of Akash S missile is that it is capable of hitting precise targets even in extremely cold areas like Ladakh. Therefore, it can be deployed on the border of China and Pakistan according to the need. This defence system has been prepared by the Defence Research and Development Organization. Akash Missile System New Generation variant was recently test-fired by DRDO. Currently, this missile system is available with the Indian security forces, although more modern versions are expected to come in the future.

Apart from this, the army is also preparing to purchase 25 ALH Dhruv Mark 3 helicopters to meet its needs. It is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The Army is currently the largest user of indigenous ALH Dhruv helicopters and has given several suggestions to Hindustan Aeronautics to improve them.