New Delhi: The defence ministry on Friday cleared a slew of procurements ranging from pseudo satellites to jet-based drones and air defence systems, with the armed forces incorporating lessons learnt from Operation Sindoor into the acquisition roadmap.The Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded in-principle approval to proposals worth ₹52,000 crore, most of which will be fulfilled by the domestic industry.Among the proposals cleared is the acquisition of fixed-wing high altitude pseudo satellites for the Indian Air Force. The system consists of a drone that flies at extremely high altitude for durations extended to weeks, powered by solar energy. The system is used to carry out seamless intelligence gathering and surveillance, besides long-range communications.At least two Indian manufacturers have been working on developing pseudo satellites, including state-owned National Aerospace Laboratories and private sector drone manufacturer NewSpace Research and Technologies.Also Read | DAC clears Rs 52,000 crore defence acquisitions, boosts drone and air defence capabilitiesFor the army, a major project has been cleared to upgrade protection for the T-90 main battle tanks. Under the ₹9,000 crore plan, the fleet of tanks will be equipped with active protection systems. The systems significantly enhance the survivability of tanks in battle, with explosive countermeasures being deployed against threats such as rocket propelled grenades, anti-tank missiles and drones.Also for the army, the DAC cleared a proposal to acquire indigenous man portable anti-tank guided missile systems, valued at ₹2,300 crore. The systems have been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and are likely to be produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited and private sector partners.On the air defence front, three major systems have been cleared for the army. These include the indigenous anti-unmanned aerial vehicles electronic warfare system 'Akash Tarang'. For protection against missiles and combat aircraft, the army will also get additional medium range surface-to-air missile weapon systems. A large number of Russian origin 'Verba' shoulder fired anti-air missiles are also being procured. Termed a very short range air defence system, these are likely to be produced by Adani Defence.Adding to the growing drone arsenal, the DAC also cleared the acquisition of jet-based Kamikaze Drone System. "These drones provide better electronic warfare capability with greater lethality and survivability while also being cost-effective," said an official.For the navy, projects that have been cleared include a new naval shipborne unmanned aerial system-drones that can be launched at sea to significantly enhance situation awareness. The navy will also get new sea mines under the Multi-Influence Ground Mine project, besides an approval to set up a land-based testing facility for the under-development electric propulsion system.