India's Ministry of Defense inked two contracts to purchase vital military hardware to strengthen the nation's defense capabilities on Thursday, according to a government news release.
The total value of the two contracts is estimated to be around Rs 800 crores ($96.9 million).
One of the contracts is to manufacture 697 Bogie open military (BOM) wagons with Jupiter Wagons Limited. It is worth Rs 473 crores.
Secondly, an agreement was signed for Rs 329 crores with BEML Ltd to purchase 56 mark II mechanical minefield marking equipment (MMME).
These deals demonstrate the government's dedication to domestic manufacturing and defense self-sufficiency, which is consistent with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of self-reliance.
BOM wagons are specialized transport vehicles used by the Indian Army. The procurement of the critical rolling stock is anticipated to accelerate the deployment of personnel and apparatus in times of crisis. Additionally, it will make mobilizing for military drills and unit relocation easier during peacetime.
Concurrently, BEML Ltd.'s MMMEs will fulfill India's obligation to mark minefields as per the Protocol-II of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which has been updated.
The MMME's cross-country operation capability, with its full load of stores, reduces the amount of time and labor needed to designate minefields.
Based on an in-service high mobility vehicle, the equipment's sophisticated mechanical and electrical systems are expected to shorten operational times during minefield marking operations, improving the Indian Army's overall operational capacity.