India, Feb. 13 -- The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of defence minister Rajnath Singh, has accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the purchase of 288 S-400 missiles at a cost of Rs.10,000 crore from Russia, people aware of the matter said.

Hindustan Times had first reported in November last year that the government was preparing to acquire these missiles to replenish the inventory used up in Operation Sindoor, as well as to stock more long-range and short-range surface-to-air delivery systems.

The AoN cleared by the DAC will cover 120 short-range missiles and 168 long-range missiles, and the acquisition will be done through the Fast Track Procedure (FTP), sources told Hindustan Times. India is going to ge...