The system will comprise sensors and processing units retrofitted on armoured vehicles like tanks and mechanised infantry combat vehicles to detect the use of lasers by the enemy for detection and target acquisition and to take counter-measures.

The project is being executed by DRDO’s Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE) at Dehradun, which is inviting the industry to design, develop and manufacture the proposed system. IRDE’s research arena includes electro-optical instruments, thermal imagers, night-vision devices and laser-based instruments.

The proposed system is required to detect threats at ranges up to six kilometres. It will have four sensors mounted on the vehicle’s turret at different places to provide a 360-degree coverage to detect threats from sources such as laser range finders, laser target designators and laser munition guiding beams.

The control units and display screens will be mounted inside, adjacent to the commander’s console, and give out an audio and visual warning to the crew, classify the type of threat and enable them to take counter-measures such as firing smoke grenades to obscure the vehicle and move to a different location.

Earlier, another DRDO laboratory, Laser Science and Technology Centre, New Delhi, had produced a laser threat detection system for the indigenously developed Arjun main battle tank. The Army has in its inventory several other armoured vehicles like the T-72 and T-90 tanks and BMP 2/3 mechanised infantry combat vehicles.

The DRDO has been working in the field of lasers for a host of other applications such as protection of high-value assets from aerial attacks, safe ammunition disposal, surveillance, guidance of precision munitions, optical-dazzling, target location and acquisition, detection and identification of explosives, chemical and biological agents and for testing and evaluating various systems.

Besides combat operations by the armed forces, some of these systems can also be used by the paramilitary forces and the police for border management and in low-intensity conflict environment.

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In a statement 0n 6 June, the Ministry of Defence said the DAC, at a meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, “accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for Capital Acquisition Proposals of the Armed Forces amounting to Rs 76,390 crore under ‘Buy (Indian)’, ‘Buy & Make (Indian)’ and ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)’ categories”. This, it said, follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “clarion call for ‘Aatmanirbharta’.”

The planned next generation corvettes will be the first time that the warships will be designed entirely by the Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and executed by an Indian shipyard through a competitive bid — this means that the private industry will also be allowed to bid, unlike earlier when a shipyard was nominated. The new warships will eventually replace the Khukri and Kora class corvettes.

“For the Indian Navy, the DAC accorded AoN for procurement of Next Generation Corvettes (NGC) at an estimated cost of approx. Rs 36,000 crore. These NGCs will be versatile platforms for a variety of roles viz. surveillance missions, escort operations, deterrence, Surface Action Group (SAG) operations, Search & Attack and Coastal Defence. These NGCs would be constructed based on the new in-house design of the Indian Navy using the latest technology of ship building and would contribute to further the Government’s initiative of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region),” the Ministry said.

“For the Indian Army, the DAC accorded fresh AoNs for procurement of Rough Terrain Fork Lift Trucks (RTFLTs), Bridge Laying Tanks (BLTs), Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles (Wh AFVs) with Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) and Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs) through domestic sources with emphasis on indigenous design and development,” it said.

“The DAC accorded AoNs for manufacture of Dornier aircraft and Su-30 MKI aero-engines by the Navratna CPSE M/s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited with focus on enhancing indigenisation, particularly in indigenising aero-engine material,” the Ministry said.

“In pursuance of the Government’s vision for digital transformation in Defence, ‘Digital Coast Guard’ project under ‘Buy (Indian)’ Category has been approved by the DAC. Under this project, a pan India secure network for digitising of various surface and aviation operations, logistics, finance and HR processes in Coast Guard will be established,” it said.

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