9 years later, Indian Army to get 1.86L bulletproof jackets
The Indian Army has inked a Rs. 639cr deal for 1.86L bulletproof jackets (BPJs) with a domestic company after successful field evaluation trials. According to the contract, SMPP Pvt Ltd will supply the entire order in three years. This is just half the army's overall requirement of 3.55L BPJs, which has been pending since a decade. But it will still help modernize the forces.
The Indian Army fought for nine years for this
The procurement of these jackets was cleared by the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) as early as 2009, during the Manmohan Singh regime. The request for proposal was eventually issued in 2012, but after all six samples failed trials, it was retracted in 2015. The next year, the government, under pressure from the opposition as well as the forces, procured 50,000 BPJs on emergency basis.
About the new advanced BPJs
The new BPJs "have contemporary and state-of-the-art specifications with added protection level and coverage area," are ergonomically-designed, and their modular parts will provide flexibility to soldiers, an officer said. They will also provide 360-degree protection and have 'Boron Carbide Ceramic', the lightest material for ballistic protection. "They meet the most advanced GSQRs 1438 (technical parameters) standards of the Army," said SMPP Chairman SC Kansal.
A boost to Make in India
Purchase of the BPJs under the 'Buy Indian' category of defense procurement has also meant a boost to Make in India. "The provision of these new BPJs was done by Indian manufacturers who were successful in the trials," the army said.
Still some months left for SMPP to start supply
Scores of soldiers have died due to lack of BPJs. In October'17, IAF officer Sergeant Milind Kishor was killed when bullets fired by LeT terrorists pierced his "bulletproof" helmet in Kashmir. In the 2017 Pathankot attack, Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan Singh died while defusing an explosive. So the SMPP deal will be a massive upgrade, but supply will start only after a few months.
