New Delhi, Feb. 13 -- The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on February 12 accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals of the Armed Forces amounting to about Rs 3.60 lakh crore.

The approvals are aimed at enhancing operational preparedness, strengthening deterrence capabilities and promoting indigenous manufacturing under existing procurement frameworks.

For the Indian Air Force (IAF), the DAC approved procurement of Multi Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA), identified as Rafale, along with Combat Missiles and an Air-Ship Based High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (AS-HAPS).

The MRFA acquisition is intended to augment air dominance capabilities across the conflict spectrum and ...