The government on Monday approved procurement of a fresh batch of Barak surface-to-air missiles for Naval warships to enhance India's maritime capability in view of the changing security dynamics in the Indian Ocean region.
A meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, approved capital acquisition proposals totalling over INR 860 crore, including for the purchase of Barak missiles.
The missiles will be procured under 'Buy Global' category from Rafael Advance Defense Systems Limited of Israel at an approximate cost of around INR 500 crore, defence ministry sources said.
Almost all ships of the navy will be equipped with these missiles.
The DAC, which is Defence Ministry's highest decision making body for capital acquisition, also accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for procurement of equipment such as underwater robot to counter mines in the sea.