Defence Ministry approves procurement of 260 naval communication sets

NEW DELHI: The Defence Ministry today approved procurement of 260 naval communication sets at a cost of Rs 490 crore to ramp up surveillance on the high seas.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, defence ministry sources said.

It will be the first batch of indigenously designed and developed "software defined" radio sets, they said, adding the gadgets will improve information sharing through secure voice communications and data transfer on board the naval ships.

The cost of 260 communication sets will be Rs 490 crore and they will replace the old sets, the sources said.

The DAC, the defence ministry's highest decision making body on procurement, has also reviewed various acquisition programmes.