Editorial: Work in progress

Though India is the largest importer of weapons and military equipment in the world, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the country’s arms imports fell 21% during 2017-21 compared with the 2012-16 period. This trend demonstrates that the emphasis on ‘Make in India’ drive and indigenisation is yielding positive outcomes. The embargo on the […]

Though India is the largest importer of weapons and military equipment in the world, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the country’s arms imports fell 21% during 2017-21 compared with the 2012-16 period. This trend demonstrates that the emphasis on ‘Make in India’ drive and indigenisation is yielding positive outcomes. The embargo on the import of hundreds of items is also spurring the development of indigenous technologies. Close cooperation among the armed forces, industry, R&D establishments and academia is vital for achieving the goal of self-reliance. The gradual decline in the share of imports in the overall acquisition of military equipment is good news for indigenisation. The Defence Ministry’s recent nod for projects worth Rs 76,390 crore, including the construction of eight next-generation corvettes for the navy, procurement of wheeled armoured fighting vehicles and the manufacture of Dornier aircraft and Sukhoi-30 MKI aero-engines by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, is a welcome development as it boosts indigenisation of military platforms. All the proposed capital acquisition will be under the ‘Buy and Make Indian’ rubric. The Light Combat Aircraft, a fully self-made, single-engine aircraft, has proved to be better than its foreign equivalents on several parameters and is comparatively cheaper. While it is probably the biggest ”Make in India” defence contract till date, it must be pointed out that large-scale indigenisation cannot happen overnight. It requires sustained efforts to overhaul and reorient the defence public sector units along with the active involvement of the private sector, leading technocrats, and top institutes of science and technology, as recommended by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence.

Given the geopolitical realities in the immediate neighbourhood, the armed forces cannot be expected to keep waiting for domestic equivalents during an exigency and dependence on foreign vendors cannot be reduced overnight. The focus should be on facilitating collaboration between international manufacturers and Indian firms while ensuring a level playing field. Another challenge is to ensure that global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) honour their commitment on the transfer of technology to facilitate domestic manufacturing. Strategic partnerships between Indian entities and OEMs have for long remained skewed in favour of the latter. Laid down in 2020, the Defence Acquisition Procedure features reforms in the offset policy, aimed at pushing foreign defence players to make substantial investments. The priority accorded to the Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category for the procurement of capital equipment makes it incumbent on the defence forces and the industry to adhere to the standard operating procedures. Traditionally, India’s approach to defence procurement reforms has been lethargic and largely indecisive. There can be no compromise on the key aspects of quality, safety and efficiency. Making our soldiers use below-par weaponry or defective aircraft is not only a recipe for disaster but also a poor advertisement for our manufacturing ability.

---