India, March 20 -- The Union government's defence acquisition council (DAC) on Thursday cleared for the purchase of weapons and systems worth Rs.54,000 crore, including airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems, torpedoes and tank engines, the defence ministry announced.

The DAC, headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh, accorded its acceptance of necessity (AoN) for the military hardware a day after the Cabinet Commitee on Security (CCS) cleared a Rs.7,000-crore deal for 307 locally made artillery guns along with towing vehicles, in a boost for self-reliance in the country's defence manufacturing sector.

Under India's defence procurement rules, the AoN by the council is the first step of buying military equipment.

"AEW&C syst...