DAC has given nod for construction of six submarines: Government

NEW DELHI: Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has given its nod for construction of six submarines, which will be equipped with land attack missile capability as well an advanced propulsion system, Defence Minister A K Antony has told Lok Sabha.

"DAC has accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AON) for construction of six submarines under Project-75(I). These submarines are intended to be equipped with land attack missile capability as well as Air Independent Propulsion (AIP)," he said in a written reply yesterday.

In separate reply, the Minister informed the House about a proposal to procure 14 Dornier aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the purpose of training IAF pilots.

"Additionally, there is also a proposal to procure two more Dornier aircraft, modified to calibrate navigational aids at IAF airfields from HAL. Besides, the Navy has a plan to purchase 12 Dornier aircraft from HAL," he said.

The Defence Minister also said that the proposal for procurement of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the IAF is presently at contract negotiation stage with Dassault Aviation, France, which emerged at L-1 vendor in the deal.

On expansion of naval base at Karwar in Andhra Pradesh, he said no Indian firm has met the eligibility criteria as expressed by the government.

"The plan for augmentation of the base with requisite infrastructure and eligibility criteria have been made accordingly. No Indian firm has met the eligibility criteria regarding financial strength, experience in execution of similar projects of requisite expertise as specified in the global notice for Expression of Interest," Antony said.