New Delhi: To boost indigenisation in the defence sector, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired first meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) and approved procurement of indigenous Software Defined Radio (SDR Tactical) and Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Batteries (Long Range) for the Indian Navy in New Delhi on August 8.

The SDR is a complex and state of art communication system, which has been indigenously designed and developed by DRDO, BEL and Weapons Electronics System Engineering Establishment (WESEE). It would enable information sharing, collaboration and situational awareness through high-speed data and secure voice communication with anti-jamming capability.

Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Batteries (NGMMCB, Long Range) would be fitted with supersonic BrahMos surface-to-surface cruise missiles and would be deployed along the coast. The NGMMCB has been developed and manufactured in India by Indo-Russia Joint Venture Company, M/s BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited.

Both these indigenously developed equipment are of the latest generation and would give a fillip to the Make in India initiatives of the Government.

Continuing its focus on ‘Ease of business’ in the defence acquisition, the DAC also approved amendments to the Defence Procurement Procedure 2016. The amendments are designed to simplify processes under the ‘Make’ category as well as ‘Offsets’.