THE PANIC BUYS

AMID BORDER TENSIONS WITH CHINA, THE ARMED FORCES GO ON A WEAPONS-BUYING SPREE EVEN AS A ROBUST INDIGENOUS DEFENCE PRODUCTION SET-UP REMAINS THE NEED OF THE HOUR

- SANDEEP UNNITHAN

As the Himalayan stand-off between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army of China in eastern Ladakh entered its fourth month, the country’s armed forces embarked on a fresh round of emergency fast-track procurements (FTPs) of weapons and ammunition to replenish their arsenal. The defence ministry is buzzing with activity as files and proposals are being drafted for approvals in South Block with a speed that only crisis brings.

On the anvil are a slew of weapon imports, including light tanks, tank ammunition, surface-to-air missiles, assault rifles and drones, estimated at over Rs 10,000 crore from three of India’s biggest defence suppliers—Russia, the US and Israel. The weapons are meant to equip the army and the air force forward-deployed in Ladakh since late May. On July 16, the defence ministry allowed emergency procurements worth Rs 500 crore for each of the three services, with no restrictions on the number of such programmes.

The army, which has deployed four divisions in the theatre of action, has the most numerous requirements. It wants kamikaze drones, anti-tank guided munitions, shoulder-fired missiles, high-mobility vehicles and GPS-guided shells for the newly-acquired ultra-light howitzers, and even ammunition for small arms (see