Premium| Listen to this article |
India is planning to ramp up its production of military equipment in order to offset any potential shortfall from Russia which is the country's main supplier of defence equipment. The announcement comes during the time of the launch of the third positive indigenisation list by the Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh on Thursday.
The production of military equipment will include helicopters, tank engines, missiles, and airborne early warning systems among others.
At present, India depends for nearly 60% of its defence equipment on Russia, however, the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine since late last month has sparked doubts about future supplies.
Defense Ministry officials say India, with the world’s second-largest army, fourth-largest air force, and seventh-largest navy, can’t sustain itself through imports, reported by AP.
Former Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda in the report said that during a visit to India last year by Russian President Vladimir Putin the two sides decided to shift some manufacturing to India to meet its requirements. Imports of helicopters, corvettes, tank engines, missiles, and airborne early warning systems will eventually be halted.
Hooda, the retired Indian army general further reportedly said, "The requirements of the Russian military itself, with the kind of losses that it is suffering, may mean some of those spares that we need will probably get diverted."
These officials claimed that to meet its short-term requirements India may consider purchases from former Soviet republics and Warsaw pact countries.
A ministry official who didn't want to be named, highlighted in the report that countries like Bulgaria, Poland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine could help India with spare supplies for Russian fighter aircraft Sukhois and MiG-29s and with upgrading tanks and armored vehicles as they have similar Soviet-origin platforms and spares.
Currently, the Indian air force has over 410 Soviet and Russian fighters with a mix of imported and license-built platforms, also including Su30s, MiG-21s, and MiG 29s - all in need of Russian spares and components. Also, India has Russian submarines, tanks, helicopters, submarines, frigates, and missiles.
Last week, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told his British counterpart, Liz Truss, in her visit to India that emphasis is now put on "made in India" and "the more collaborative we are, the possibilities of working together are more." In the meeting, the two discussed measures to strengthen Indo-British defense ties to reduce India’s strategic dependence on Russia.
So far, the Defence Ministry has identified more than 300 items on the “positive indigenization list" with a timeline to bank imports for helping local manufacturers meet the requirements of armed forces in the coming years.
Today, during the launch of the third positive indigenisation list, Rajnath Singh said, "Our objective is to develop India as a defence manufacturing hub."
In a statement on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry stated that this third list will consist of over 100 items, including complex equipment and systems which are being developed and likely to translate into firm orders over the next five years. Orders worth more than ₹2,10,000 crore are likely to be placed in the Industry in the next five years as part of the items covered in the third list.
"With the notification, over 300 sophisticated items will be covered, ranging from complex weapon systems to critical platforms such as Armoured vehicles, combat aircraft, submarines etc.," the ministry said.
The third positive indigenisation list builds on the first list of 101 items and the second list of 108 items that were promulgated on August 21, 2020, and May 31, 2021, respectively. The major items in the first list include 155mm/39 Cal Ultra-Light Howitzer, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-IA – Enhanced Indigenised Content, Conventional Submarines, and Communication Satellites GSAT-7C. The major items in the second list include Next Generation Corvette, Land-Based MRSAM Weapon System, Smart AntiField Weapon System (SAAW) Mk-I, and Onboard Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS) based integrated life support system for fighter aircraft and 1000HP Engine for Tank (T-72).
Since the notification of the first and second list, contracts for 31 projects aggregating ₹53,839 crore have been signed by the Armed Forces. Meanwhile, acceptance of necessity (AoNs) for 83 projects worth ₹1,77,258 crore has been accorded. In addition, cases worth ₹2,93,741 crore will be progressed in the next five-seven years.
Download the App to get 14 days of unlimited access to Mint Premium absolutely free!