Army closer to getting attack helicopters, as India eyes China threat

Defence Minister A K Antony today directed that the Indian Army deploy extra man power in the North East as fast as possible. He asked the Army to prepare to induct more attack helicopters into the force. The Defence Minister was reviewing the modernisation of the Indian Army.

Modernisation of the Indian Army has been in sharp focus since the letter of the former chief, General V K Singh, to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was leaked to the media. General Singh's letter had pointed to severe deficiencies in equipment and systems.

Sources said that Mr Antony, reviewing the Army's modernisation programme, also asked the Army to step-up on the infrastructure development in the North East. Besides this, the Minister also reviewed the process of acquisition of artillery guns and asked the Army to reform its acquisition process.
 Mr Antony also reviewed new measures taken to increase and improve ammunition storage systems in the North East. Besides this, he also asked the Army to prioritise and focus on critical areas to plug existing gaps. The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Defence including the Defence Secretary Sashikant Sharma and Secretary Defence Production Shekhar Agarwal.

NDTV