On 3 July 2026, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by the Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister), granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) — the first, in-principle approval — to acquisition proposals worth about ₹52,000 crore to boost the combat readiness of the armed forces. The list is a who's-who of modern warfare: for the Army, the anti-drone electronic-warfare system AKASH TARANG, the Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM), the Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM), the Very Short Range Air Defence System (V-SHORADS), an Active Protection System for tanks, and jet-based kamikaze drones; for the Navy, the Multi-Influence Ground Mine (MIGM) and a shipborne unmanned aerial system. For an NDA/CDS aspirant, this single decision opens up two high-yield themes: how India buys its weapons, and what those weapons do.
What the Defence Acquisition Council is
Fix the institution first, because it is frequently tested:
- The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is the highest decision-making body for capital acquisitions (major weapons and equipment) in the Ministry of Defence.
- It is chaired by the Defence Minister (Raksha Mantri), with the three Service Chiefs, the Defence Secretary and other senior officials as members.
- It was set up in 2001, following the recommendations of a Group of Ministers after the Kargil War (1999), to give speed and coherence to defence procurement.
- Its job is to give policy direction and approve the acquisition of new capabilities in line with the armed forces' needs and the defence budget.
So when a service needs a new missile or radar, the DAC is the gatekeeper that clears it. This institution-mapping is exactly the kind built up in the NDA general-knowledge study material.
Acceptance of Necessity: the first step
The most examinable procedural term here is Acceptance of Necessity (AoN):
- AoN is the DAC's in-principle, first-stage approval that a particular capability is necessary and can be pursued — not a signed contract or a delivery.
- After AoN, the proposal moves through the stages laid down in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 — issuing a tender (Request for Proposal), trials, cost negotiation, and finally a contract. Only then does money actually flow and equipment arrive.
- Acquisitions are also categorised to promote indigenisation — with priority to "Buy (Indian-IDDM)" (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) over imports.
The clean takeaway: AoN = "yes, we need this" (first approval); contract = "we're buying it" (final step). The ₹52,000-crore figure is therefore the value of proposals cleared to proceed, most of them from Indian sources — a marker of Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence. This "how India buys weapons" chain is the kind of process serving-officer faculty unpack in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
The weapons, decoded (Army)
NDA/CDS papers love "what does this system do" questions. Fix the Army items:
- MRSAM (Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile): a medium-range air-defence missile (an India–Israel co-development) that shoots down aircraft, helicopters, drones and cruise missiles at medium range — a key layer of the air-defence shield.
- V-SHORADS (Very Short Range Air Defence System): a shoulder-fired / short-range missile for knocking down low-flying aircraft and drones close in — the innermost layer of air defence.
- AKASH TARANG: an anti-UAV (counter-drone) electronic-warfare system to detect and neutralise hostile drones over Army formations — a direct response to the rise of drone threats.
- MPATGM (Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile): a shoulder-fired, "fire-and-forget" anti-tank missile for the infantry to destroy enemy tanks and armoured vehicles — indigenously developed by DRDO.
- Active Protection System (APS) for tanks: a system that detects and intercepts incoming anti-tank projectiles before they hit, boosting tank survivability.
- Jet-based kamikaze drones: loitering munitions — drones that hunt for a target and then crash into it (a "suicide" strike) — offering cheap, precise, long-endurance strike power.
The pattern to note: several of these — MRSAM, V-SHORADS, anti-drone systems — are about air defence and countering drones, reflecting the biggest lesson of recent conflicts: the threat from cheap drones and precision munitions.
The Navy items and the big idea
For the Navy, the DAC cleared:
- MIGM (Multi-Influence Ground Mine): an advanced sea mine that detects a ship's multiple "influences" (magnetic, acoustic, pressure) to deny the enemy freedom of movement in chosen waters.
- Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial System (NSUAS): ship-launched drones with advanced sensors to extend a warship's surveillance and situational awareness far over the horizon.
- A Land-Based Testing Facility for electric propulsion — supporting the shift towards quieter, more efficient electric-drive warships.
The unifying idea across both services is modern, multi-domain warfare — air defence, counter-drone, unmanned systems and survivability — sourced increasingly from Indian industry. Track such defence developments via the daily NDA current affairs feed.
Where the money comes from: the defence budget
A useful frame is how such purchases are funded, since the examiner links procurement to the budget:
- The defence budget has two broad parts: the capital budget — for buying new equipment, weapons and platforms (this is where DAC acquisitions sit) — and the revenue budget — for salaries, pensions, maintenance and day-to-day running.
- India is among the world's largest defence spenders, and a stated goal is to raise the share of capital spending going to domestic industry, with a rising defence-exports target and positive-indigenisation lists reserving items for Indian makers.
- The armed forces' modernisation is guided by long-term plans and the priorities set by the Chiefs of Staff and the Chief of Defence Staff — so a DAC clearance is the point where strategy, budget and industry meet.
The takeaway for an answer: a ₹52,000-crore clearance is not just a shopping list — it reflects where India is placing its bets (air defence, drones, self-reliance) and how it is trying to fund modernisation from home.
The big picture for an aspirant
Tie it together. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) — the highest capital-acquisition body in the MoD, chaired by the Defence Minister, set up in 2001 after Kargil — granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), the first-stage approval, to about ₹52,000 crore of proposals on 3 July 2026, most from Indian sources under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020. The systems — MRSAM and V-SHORADS (air defence), AKASH TARANG (anti-drone EW), MPATGM (anti-tank), Active Protection for tanks, kamikaze drones, and for the Navy MIGM and shipborne drones — reflect modern multi-domain warfare and Aatmanirbhar Bharat. That is a complete, examinable fact-set linking institutions, procedure and weapons — strong defence GK and a sharp SSB lecturette on India's military modernisation.
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is chaired by the: (a) Chief of Defence Staff (b) Defence Minister (Raksha Mantri) (c) Defence Secretary (d) Prime Minister → (b) — the Defence Minister chairs the DAC, the top capital-acquisition body.
Q2. "Acceptance of Necessity (AoN)" granted by the DAC means: (a) a signed purchase contract (b) in-principle first-stage approval that the capability is needed (c) delivery of equipment (d) a budget cut → (b) — AoN is the first approval; a contract comes much later.
Q3. The DAC was set up in 2001 following a Group of Ministers report after which event? (a) the 1971 war (b) the Kargil War (1999) (c) the 26/11 attacks (d) Operation Sindoor → (b) — to reform and speed up defence procurement after Kargil.
Q4. MRSAM and V-SHORADS are both types of: (a) tanks (b) air-defence missile systems (c) submarines (d) fighter aircraft → (b) — medium-range and very-short-range air-defence systems respectively.
Q5. MPATGM, cleared for the infantry, is a: (a) surface-to-air missile (b) man-portable anti-tank guided missile (c) sea mine (d) radar → (b) — a shoulder-fired anti-tank missile to destroy enemy armour.
Q6. A "kamikaze" or "loitering munition" drone is one that: (a) only takes photographs (b) loiters over an area and then crashes into a target to destroy it (c) carries cargo (d) refuels aircraft → (b) — a suicide drone that strikes the target itself.
Q7. Under the Defence Acquisition Procedure, top priority for indigenisation is given to the category: (a) Buy (Global) (b) Buy (Indian-IDDM) (c) lease from abroad (d) outright import → (b) — Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured.
Q8. The Navy's MIGM cleared by the DAC is a: (a) fighter jet (b) multi-influence sea mine (c) helicopter (d) submarine → (b) — a sea mine that senses a ship's magnetic/acoustic/pressure signatures.
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Defence procurement and weapons are a reliable defence set in NDA/CDS. The most reliable items are the DAC (its chair — the Defence Minister — and its role), the meaning of AoN, and matching a system to its function (MRSAM/V-SHORADS = air defence; MPATGM = anti-tank; loitering munition = kamikaze drone). A favourite current-affairs angle is the indigenisation categories (Buy Indian-IDDM) and Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The fresh 2026 hook is the ₹52,000-crore DAC clearance and the specific systems (AKASH TARANG anti-drone, Active Protection for tanks, MIGM) — ideal for "which body / which approval / which weapon" framings. We avoid quoting any specific past-paper number; the pattern reflects how the topic recurs.
Studying for NDA or CDS? Defence acquisition — the DAC, AoN and India's new weapon systems — is high-yield defence GK and a strong SSB lecturette on military modernisation and self-reliance. Track our daily NDA current affairs and train with serving-officer faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
✍️ Written by Maj Sunil Chopra — Veteran, Indian Army; defence-studies & current-affairs faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk. The Cavalier, founded by ex-Army officers, has trained NDA/CDS/SSB aspirants since 2001 (Facebook · YouTube).
Source: PIB release, 3 July 2026. Facts cross-verified.