The Indian Department of Defence has released a draft of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP)-2026, which is set to replace the current Defence Acquisition Procedure-2020, pending approval.
The proposed changes intend to bring India’s defence acquisition in line with “evolving geo-strategic” conditions, the increasing role of the private defence sector, and the technological demands of current military operations.
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Under the draft DAP-2026, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) places emphasis on domestic manufacturing by prioritising the Buy Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category, which covers equipment that is indigenously designed, developed and manufactured.
This measure seeks to reduce dependence on imports and support self-reliance in the defence sector.
The document outlines several adjustments, including strategies for categorising procurements based on technological availability and manufacturing readiness. It also introduces exclusive procedures for swift acquisition of equipment with short technological cycles, and provisions for spiral design and procurement of major platforms.
Furthermore, the draft sets out an evaluation process for indigenous content and design, the use of local military materials, and incentives intended to encourage innovation.
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By GlobalDataOther planned reforms include easing financial and experience criteria to encourage wider participation, delegating decision-making authority for quicker acquisitions. They also include overhauling trials and quality assurance procedures, as well as enhancing digitisation and automation across procurement processes.
The proposal restricts imports to cases where domestic alternatives are unavailable or when the equipment is considered critical.
The Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025 continues to cover maintenance and sustenance under revenue expenditure, while the DAP governs capital procurement of defence systems and platforms.
MoD stated: “The DAP-2026 intends to weave the security of the nation and technological growth in a single thread and create the canvas for Viksit Bharat-2047.”
The Ministry is now accepting comments and suggestions on the draft from stakeholders.
Submissions must be sent by email in PDF or MS Word format by 3 March 2026, according to details provided by the MoD.
In the recently presented 2026–27 Union Budget, the Indian MoD received the largest allocation among all ministries, with the Indian government assigning Rs7.85tn ($86.7bn), or 14.67% of the total national budget.
