Defence Acquisition Council Clears ₹52,000 Crore Military Purchase Including Kamikaze Drones and Anti-Tank Weapons

The Defence Acquisition Council has greenlit military purchases worth ₹52,000 crore, one of the larger single-round procurement approvals in recent memory, encompassing a wide range of advanced weaponry including kamikaze drones and anti-tank systems.

Among the headline items is DRDO's MP-ATGM — a man-portable anti-tank guided missile that has been in development for a decade. Its imminent induction marks a milestone for India's indigenous weapons programme, replacing dependence on foreign suppliers for a class of weapon critical to infantry operations against armoured threats.

Kamikaze drones, which loiter over a target before diving to destroy it, have become a defining weapon of modern warfare and were seen extensively in recent conflicts. Their inclusion in this approval reflects how rapidly Indian military planners have absorbed lessons from global battlefields and are seeking to equip forces accordingly.

The DAC, chaired by the Defence Minister, is the apex body that clears capital acquisition proposals before they move to formal contract negotiations. Approvals at this stage do not constitute final contracts but set the procurement process firmly in motion. Defence industry analysts expect a significant share of these orders to flow to domestic manufacturers, consistent with government policy prioritising Indian suppliers.

For India's defence industrial base — spanning public sector undertakings, private firms, and DRDO — the approval represents a substantial pipeline of work and underlines the government's intent to accelerate military modernisation while reducing import dependence.