Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)

About Defence Acquisition Council (DAC):

• It is the highest decision-making bodyof the defence ministry on procurement.
• The main objective of the DAC is to ensure expeditious procurement of the approved requirements of the armed forces in terms of capabilities sought and time frame prescribed by optimally utilizing the allocated budgetary resources.
• Formation: It was formed after the Group of Minister's recommendations on 'Reforming the National Security System', in 2001, post-Kargil War (1999).
• Composition:
  • The defence minister is the chairman of DAC.
  • Its members include the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
• Its functions include:
  • Give in principle approval of a 15 yearsLong Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP) for defence forces.
  • Accord of acceptance of necessity to acquisition proposals. 
  • Categorisation of the acquisition proposals relating to ‘Buy’, ‘Buy & Make’, and ‘Make’. 
  • Look into issues relating to single vendor clearance.
  • Take decisions regarding ‘offset’ provisions in respect of acquisition proposals above Rs 300 crore.
  • Take decisions regarding the Transfer of Technology under the ‘Buy & Make’ category of acquisition proposals. 
  • Field trial evaluation.

Q1: What is the MQ-9B Predator Drone?

The MQ-9B drone is a variant of the MQ-9 "Reaper", an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations. These are high-altitude, long-endurance drones armed with strike missiles that can take out enemy targets with high accuracy. It was developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF). The MQ-9B has two variants — SkyGuardian and its sibling SeaGuardian. The Indian Navy has been operating the MQ-9B Sea Guardian since 2020.

Source: DAC approves amendment to MQ-9B UAV deal with U.S.