Govt accords approval for procurement of 22 Interceptor Boats to enhance capabilities of the ICG

A meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh yesterday concluded in New Delhi. In the meeting, various capital acquisition proposals were considered including Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to the procurement of Advanced Land Navigation System (ALNS) for Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) of the Indian Army. The system is spoof-proof with high levels of encryption.

The Ministry of Defence said that in order to enhance the capabilities of the Indian Coast Guard, the DAC accorded AoN for the procurement of 22 Interceptor Boats with the latest state-of-the-art system capable of quick interception and shallow water operation in territorial waters. These boats will



be used for coastal surveillance and patrolling, search and rescue operations, including medical evacuation.

Highlighting the accepted proposals, the Ministry said that the ALNS Mk-II is compatible with the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, NAVigation using Indian Constellation, in addition to the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS). It added the ALNS Mk-II offers compatibility with Defence Series Maps resulting in very high accuracy in navigational applications for AFVs. This equipment will be procured from Bharat Electronics Limited under the Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured category.