MoD Signs ₹697 Crore Deal with ACE and JCB for RTFLTs

21 Feb 2025 , 07:52 AM

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed contracts worth ₹697.35 crore with Action Construction Equipment Ltd (ACE) and JCB India Ltd for the acquisition of 1,868 Rough Terrain Fork Lift Trucks (RTFLTs).

The two sides inked the pacts in the presence of Defence Secretary R K Singh to boost logistics and operational effectiveness of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. The RTFLTs will be produced in Buy (Indian) category which will give a boost to the indigenisation effort and Make in India initiative in defence.

The procurement project will be a step towards generating direct and indirect employment as it will require component manufacturing and assembly of the vehicles by MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises). This initiative is in line with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision, enhancing India’s self-sufficiency in the defence manufacturing domain.

In a separate agreement, the Defence Ministry has also signed a ₹1,220.12 crore deal with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the supply of 149 Software Defined Radios (SDRs) for the Indian Coast Guard. The SDRs will provide hight speed, secured and voice based data sharing as well as situational awareness to enhance India’s maritime security operations.