New Delhi is accelerating the modernization of its Armed Forces. On October 26, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, approved in principle a package of acquisitions worth 2,120 billion rupees (about $22.5 billion).

The programs include self-propelled artillery systems, helicopters, drones, naval systems and weather radars, and involve all three components of the Indian Armed Forces: Army, Air Force and Navy. The Acceptance of Necessity is a first authorization: it does not yet equal the signing of contracts, but it clarifies India’s strategic priorities.

For the Indian Army, the acquisition proposals include high-mobility trucks, tracked self-propelled howitzers, fire-locating and counter-battery radars, light multi-role helicopters, VSHORADS (Very Short Range Air Defence Systems), C-UAS (Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems), long-range surveillance UAVs and long-range kamikaze drones. These would be integrated into the new ISS (Integrated Surveillance and Strike) system, with surveillance and strike functions. However, further details will only be released in the coming weeks.

In particular, VSHORADS are intended to counter new-generation and small-sized air threats, mainly reconnaissance and attack drones, while the C-UAS systems mounted on ground platforms will help improve the survivability of armored vehicles. Tracked self-propelled howitzers are intended to provide greater mobility and firepower to mechanized formations. Specifically, the plan calls for the acquisition of 335 new K9 VAJRA-T 155 mm/L52 self-propelled howitzers, derived from the South Korean K9 and produced by the Indian companies Larsen & Toubro and Hanwha. The aim is to enhance the mobility and firepower of mechanized units.

In parallel, the Army and Air Force intend to jointly acquire about 400 light multi-role helicopters, split between the Light Utility Helicopter developed domestically by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and a foreign model assembled under license, not further specified.

The Indian Air Force has separately received authorization to acquire VVIP transport helicopters (for Very, Very Important Persons, i.e. officials of particular institutional rank) and mobile DOPPLER weather radars, intended to provide localized, high-resolution surveillance in forward operating areas.

Finally, the Indian Navy has received authorization to acquire AODS (active off-board decoy systems), electronic warfare devices designed to protect naval units from modern anti-ship missile threats. Added to these are the recent contracts with GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited) and GSL (Goa Shipyard Limited) for the construction of eight NEXT GENERATION CORVETTES (NGC).

The plan responds first and foremost to a complex regional context. On the western front, the rivalry with Pakistan persists, flaring again with particular intensity on May 7, 2025, during Operation SINDOOR and the subsequent Pakistani retaliation (May 8-10). The confrontation highlighted the centrality of missiles, drones, air defense systems and standoff strike capabilities, but also the risk of unpredictable escalation between two regional powers that are nonetheless nuclear.

On the northern front, despite the resumption of dialogue with Beijing and progress in managing the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the border dispute along the Himalayan chain remains unresolved. The availability of mobile artillery, helicopters and logistics assets is therefore particularly important, meeting the need to cover air and ground units in mountainous areas that are difficult to resupply in the event of a possible confrontation with China in the sector.

At sea, India supports the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision: from this perspective, the Indian Ocean is a primary area of strategic interest, essential for the security of energy supplies and commercial traffic. Growing Chinese naval presence and the modernization of the Pakistani fleet, also supported by Beijing, push New Delhi to strengthen surveillance and the protection of its units.

Finally, cooperation within the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) with the United States, Japan and Australia strengthens India’s role in the Indo-Pacific region, but without constituting a formal alliance, which would further fuel tensions with China.

The plan also has significant industrial implications. According to the Ministry of Defence, about 82% of the authorized acquisitions should be assigned to the local industry: a share consistent with Atmanirbhar Bharat (“self-reliant India”) and the Make in India program, the self-sufficiency policy promoted by the government of Narendra Modi as a tool of strategic sovereignty. The 2026-2027 defence budget reached about 7,850 billion rupees ($82.5 billion), with 1,390 billion rupees (about $14.6 billion) reserved for purchases from domestic industry. The goal is to develop the national technology base and reduce dependence on foreign imports.

Production autonomy remains only partial. India maintains an important military relationship with Russia, but has progressively diversified its supplies toward France, the United States, Israel and other partners, as in the case of the already mentioned K9 VAJRA-T. On the diplomatic front, the same logic translates into the pursuit of strategic autonomy: New Delhi is deepening cooperation with Washington and other “Western” partners in the Indo-Pacific, while maintaining ties with Moscow and channels of dialogue with Beijing, including within BRICS+.

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