New Delhi, June 25 -- The defence ministry has signed a raft of contracts worth almost Rs.2,000 crore through the emergency procurement route to boost the army's readiness in counterterrorism operations in Jammu & Kashmir, with some of these deals concluded after the recent four-day military confrontation with Pakistan under Operation Sindoor, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday. The weapons and systems ordered include integrated drone detection and interdiction systems, low level lightweight radars, very short range air defence systems and remotely piloted aerial vehicles. Thirteen contracts under the emergency procurement mechanism have been concluded, the defence ministry said on Tuesday. "These contracts, amounting to Rs.1,981.90 crore, have been finalised against an (earlier) overall sanctioned outlay of Rs.2,000 crore for the Indian Army," it said in a statement. The hardware on order includes loitering munitions, different types of drones, bulletproof jackets, ballistic helmets, quick reaction fighting vehicles (both heavy and medium) and night sights for rifles. "Executed through fast-track procedures under the emergency procurement mandate, the procurement aims to enhance situational awareness, lethality, mobility, and protection for troops deployed in counterterrorism environments," the ministry added. The 450 locally produced loitering munitions, or kamikaze drones, ordered from Nagpur-based defence firm Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd to boost the army's precision targeting capabilities -- as reported by HT on Tuesday -- are part of the emergency procurement. These procurements reflect the ministry's commitment to equipping the army with modern, mission-critical, and completely indigenous systems to meet emerging security challenges, and emergency procurement route continues to be a key enabler in bridging urgent capability gaps, the statement added....