Indian Defense
Self-Reliance In Defence Sector
In the defence sector, India has long sought self-reliance, but efforts have yielded few results. India built up its domestic defence production capacity with assistance from countries like the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly through assembly under licence.
While India imported platforms and equipment, it did embark on indigenously developing key equipment like missile systems. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in 1982-83 started the development of indigenous missile systems under the leadership of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. These included the short-range surface-to-air missiles like the ‘Prithvi’, ‘Akash’ and the anti-tank guided missiles like ‘Nag’.1 The Prithvi missile system was inducted in 1994 while the Akash missile system was inducted in 2014 in the Indian Air Force and in the Indian Army the following year.2 The user trial of the third-generation Nag was carried out in October 2020 and the system is in the final stages of induction.
Apart from making efforts to develop indigenous missile systems, India also entered into an agreement with Russia in 1998 to develop a supersonic cruise missile system, the ‘Brahmos’. This is the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world, which can be launched from submarines, ships, or aircraft. Brahmos was successfully inducted in 2006.
In the light of the economy hit by the pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 May 2020, launched the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan. The phrase can be translated as self-reliance and self-sufficiency, and it highlights the importance of reducing external dependence in the economic sector. The term ‘Vocal for Local’ was also introduced to encourage the purchase of indigenous products so that the local industry can flourish. The Aatmanirbhar Bharat as an umbrella concept aims to achieve a technology-driven economy, build cutting-edge infrastructure and utilise the strength of the country’s demographic profile to generate economic growth.
The defence sector was recognised as an important area in which there is a lot of scope for being Aatmanirbhar or self-reliant. The defence sector is one of the strategic sectors of the Indian economy that has the potential for tremendous growth because of the large talented pool of skill sets in terms of human resources and large-scale modernisation requirements of the armed forces. The sector will help in strengthening the economy by creating employment opportunities and reducing the import burden.
India’s arms import during 2015-19, for instance, accounted for nearly 10 per cent of the world’s total. India’s arms import though decreased by 33 per cent between 2011–15 and 2016–20.3 Self-reliance in defence and security needs is critical to reducing India’s dependence on other countries for urgent procurement in times of exigency.
Recent border tensions with China highlighted the reality of procurement done on short notice, to enhance combative effectiveness. During the stand-off, reports flagged that the Indian Army lacked terrain-specific weapons like combat vehicles, among others. To overcome these gaps in weaponry pertaining to high-altitude warfare, the Indian armed forces were provided with emergency financial powers for capital and revenue procurements.4 Such procurement, though, will be invariably expensive.
Even as this dependence on importing defence products needs to be reduced, indigenous defence procurement needs to be encouraged. It is noteworthy that under the provisions of the emergency procurement, the Indian Army also placed orders for indigenous products like the M4 armoured vehicles from the Pune-based defence company, Bharat Forge of the Kalyani Group.5
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has taken other important steps to boost the ‘Make in India’ policy in defence manufacturing. The limits on foreign direct investment (FDI) in the defence sector have been raised to 74 per cent, from the earlier limits of 49 per cent (in May 2020). Out of the total capital acquisition budget for the year 2021-22, over 60 per cent has been earmarked for domestic capital procurement. Defence capital outlay has been increased by 18.75 per cent in the budget of 2021–22. The Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 has been revised as the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, with stress on achieving self-reliance in the defence sector.6
To enable the domestic industry to manufacture high-technology weapons and equipment, the government is aggressively promoting the role of the private sector in defence acquisition.7 The Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) awards, instituted by the MoD in April 2018, are an essential step towards creating an ecosystem to foster innovation, research and technology development. iDEX has provided opportunities to MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), start-ups, research and academic institutions as well as individuals to provide innovative solutions to pressing problem areas of the armed forces.8
Further, the MoD has undertaken important steps to facilitate and encourage exports. The Export Promotion Cell (EPC) in the Department of Defence Production (DDP) has been created for the purpose. India has achieved considerable growth in exporting defence equipment. During 2015-20, India’s defence exports grew from around Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 9,000 crore.9 Exports of globally competitive Indian defence products will no doubt help achieve economies of scale and spur qualitative improvements in indigenous defence production.
SRIJAN, the indigenisation portal, was launched in August 2020 for the benefit of defence public sector units (DPSUs) and ordnance factories to provide development support to MSMEs/start-ups/industry for import substitution. A ‘positive indigenisation list’ consisting of more than 200 items that will be manufactured within India is a huge opportunity to add volumes to the domestic defence industry using their own design and development capabilities.
These steps cumulatively are expected to make use of the large, available skill pool to introduce fresh energy in the defence sector by developing innovative, niche, and cutting-edge technologies for the military. A robust domestic defence manufacturing sector can transform India’s military capabilities and help achieve self-reliance in its defence requirements.
Indian Defense
INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’
The solid-fuelled K-4 missile is being developed by DRDO to arm the country’s nuclear-powered submarines in the shape of INS Arihant and its under-development sister vessels. INS Arihant, which became fully operational in November 2018 to complete India’s nuclear triad, is currently armed with the much shorter K-15 missiles with a 750 km range.
“The K-4 is now virtually ready for its serial production to kick-off. The two tests have demonstrated its capability to emerge straight from underwater and undertake its parabolic trajectory,” said a source.
India has the land-based Agni missiles, with the over 5,000-km Agni-V inter-continental ballistic missile now in the process of being inducted, and fighter jets jury-rigged to deliver nuclear weapons. But INS Arihant gives the country’s deterrence posture much more credibility because nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles are considered the most secure, survivable and potent platforms for retaliatory strikes.
Once the K-4 missiles are inducted, they will help India narrow the gap with countries like the US, Russia and China, which have over 5,000-km range SLBMs. The K-4 missiles are to be followed by the K-5 and K-6 missiles in the 5,000-6,000 km range class.
The 6,000-ton INS Arihant, which is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core, in turn, is to be followed by INS Arighat, which was launched in 2017. The next generation of nuclear submarines, currently called S-4 and S-4*, will be much larger in size.
Indian Defense
After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%
India has received clearance to upgrade 84 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets, which will result in 78% indigenization after the upgrade
In a significant step towards bolstering its military might with indigenously developed technology, India is poised to witness its Russian-origin Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets evolve into a domestic platform. Speaking at a recent lecture.
The upgrade program is being led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in partnership with the Indian Air Force and other partners. The upgrade is expected to cost US$7.5 billion.
This initiative is a part of a larger effort by the Indian Air Force to modernize its ageing fleet. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari asserted the critical role of an offensive air force as demonstrated in current global conflicts and emphasized India’s move towards an indigenized arsenal. To this end, the IAF has been proactive, from upgrading its Mirage 2000 to enhancing its MiG-29 fleet.
In summary, the IAF’s commitment to updating their combat forces with the latest technology, including shifting to fifth-generation fighter jets, ensures operational preparedness and a strong deterrence capability. The gradual indigenization of its air fleet marks a pivotal shift in India’s defence landscape, reducing dependency on foreign imports and fostering technological sovereignty.
Indian Defense
Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace
According to unconfirmed reports, Armenia is a top contender for an export order for Akash SAM system manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
The Akash export version will also be slightly different from the one inducted by the armed forces. The 100-km range air-to-air Astra missiles, now entering production after successful trials from Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, also have “good export potential”, said sources.
Akash is a “tried, tested and successfully inducted systems”. Indian armed forces have ordered Akash systems worth Rs 24,000 crore over the years, and MoD inked a contract in Mar 2023 of over Rs 9,100 crores for improved Akash Weapon System
BDL is a government enterprise under the Ministry of Defence that was established in 1970. BDL manufactures surface-to-air missiles and delivers them to the Indian Army. BDL also offers its products for export.
Akash Weapon System
The AWS is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) Air Defence System, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In order to meet aerial threats, two additional Regiments of AWS with Upgradation are being procured for Indian Army for the Northern borders. Improved AWS has Seeker Technology, Reduced Foot Print, 360° Engagement Capability and improved environmental parameters.
The project will give a boost to the Indian missile manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole. The project has overall indigenous content of 82% which will be increased to 93% by 2026-27.
The induction of the improved AWS into the Indian Army will increase India’s self-reliance in Short Range Missile capability. This project will play a role in boosting the overall economy by avoiding outgo of precious foreign exchange to other countries, increasing employment avenues in India and encouraging Indian MSMEs through components manufacturing. Around 60% of the project cost will be awarded to the private industry, including MSMEs, in maintaining the supply chain of the weapon system, thereby creating large scale of direct and indirect employment.
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