Larsen & Toubro’s Make in India success story in defence sector
By: Huma Siddiqui | New Delhi | Published: May 28, 2019 6:44:29 PM
In an exclusive interaction JD Patil, Senior Executive Vice President (Defence Business), Whole Time Director & Member of the Board, L&T talks to Financial Express Online.
JD Patil, Senior Executive Vice President (Defence Business)
In the last few years, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has had numerous “Make in India” success stories in the defence sector. In an exclusive interaction JD Patil, Senior Executive Vice President (Defence Business), Whole Time Director & Member of the Board, L&T talks to Financial Express Online. Following are excerpts:
Any success stories as part of Make in India Initiative?
K9 Vajra-T, Pinaka & BM 21 Upgrade for the Army Artillery, Akash for Army & Air Force, BrahMos, Range of Bridging Systems for Army Engineers, Platform specific Engineering systems for Naval Platform, Floating Dock for the Navy (FDN-2) and Offshore Patrol Vessels & Interceptor Boats for the Coast Guard to name significant ones in public domain.
K9 Vajra-T has the distinction of being the largest Defence contract placed on a private sector company for delivery of 100 howitzers in a span of three & a half years. In order to meet this stringent delivery schedule, a dedicated Armoured systems facility including a world-class Test Track at L&T’s Hazira Complex was created. This modern ‘Industry 4.0 ready’ factory is the company’s 6th dedicated and 9th Defence production unit and has already started rolling out the K9 Howitzers with 12 systems already delivered to the Army, ahead of schedule. K9-Vajra being delivered currently have reached 75 percent plus indigenous content by work packages.
Pinaka system is the first major indigenously designed & developed Multi Barrel Artillery Rocket Weapon system to be inducted by the Indian Army. Given the indigenous design and development, the program has 90 percent value content produced in India. Our company has been a development & production partner for this program. Deliveries of orders at hand and ordering for further regiments of Pinaka is in the pipeline and expected to be concluded very shortly.
In the Akash program, we deliver launchers, radar masts for 3-D surveillance radars and Integrated Propulsion Airframes for the missiles with above 90 percent indigenous content & value addition. And in production of integrated propulsion airframes the company has attained global benchmarks in deliveries and production scale up.
BrahMos Missiles: We are a partner to BrahMos for the past nearly two decades and produce Launchers and Fire Control systems and integration on Naval Platforms as also produce Missile Subsystems and related hardware with 90 percent indigenous content. We play a dominant role in equipping the Army with Range of Bridging equipment and Systems from 5m to 75m spans. These are produced with 95 percent indigenous content.
Having committed to ‘Make in India’ & “Design in India” in letter and spirit, L&T has designed and engineered, in-house, all the 50 platforms delivered till date to Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy. And have attained the distinction of delivering all the Shipbuilding programs awarded by MoD ahead of schedule including the first of class FDN as well as CG-OPVs.
Is the company working on projects with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)?
We have proactively taken up development of unmanned systems for all the four domains of warfare by building solutions for UGVs in partnership with DRDO, AUV, and USVs as well as UAVs in-house. We also partnered DRDO Laboratories in development of Chemical Agent Monitors that attained global benchmark performance, as well as O-Box besides a range of Avionics LRUs for indigenous LCA (Tejas) and ALH platforms.
With several mega defence programs like P75 (I), LPD, New Generation Warships (Frigates, Destroyers, Corvettes, Missile vessels, OPVs etc.), Air Defence Programs (Akash, MRSAM, CIWS) in the Ordering pipeline.
Leveraging our in-house R&D capability we have built a range of Naval Missile Launch Systems, Rocket Launch Systems, Torpedo Launch systems for Warships and Weapon Complexes for Submarines and Underwater platforms, most of them integrated with homegrown Fire Control Systems.
Any other guns for the Indian Army?
Currently, we are working on an Air Defence – CIWS program and are midst of realizing major building blocks/subsystems for integrating the system for user trial. We have successfully developed and qualified in the Towed gun program with Nexter Systems as our partner, and also had participated in upgrade programs like L-70 and Zu-23 and T-72 EOFCS earlier and realized these solutions indigenously. And will leverage the learning and experience gained from these programs in the upcoming Mounted Gun System program.
What is the current status of the long-pending Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV)?
FICV is a uniquely defined platform for Indian Army’s future needs with a combination of Amphibious & Desert operations capability with contemporary mobility, surveillance & protection solutions as well as weapon suite with smart ammunition to address the evolving environment. FICV was announced as the first `Make’ program in 2010 under DPP 2008 after nearly four years of stakeholder dialogues and consultations including with Industry majors.
Through the first Expression of Interest (EoI) of Oct 2010 to second EoI of June 2015, and realising that the program has been put on the cold store in 2018, we continued to develop building blocks for indigenous FICV with futuristic digital technologies.
We have not received any formal communication on the program since Oct 2016 and neither for re-categorization of FICV program under Make II. Having been closely involved as Apex chamber representatives in the consultative process during the formulation of `Make II’, we all in the Industry is aware that the `Make II’ procedure is primarily a means of Import substitution through the development of Minor Platforms, sub-systems, spares and equipment in a short development period by leveraging the readily available mature technologies to cut the country’s import dependence.
On the contrary, FICV is a Major platform involving Critical Technologies including those demanded by the User requiring a long development cycle and/or significant investments to acquire these from Foreign Technology Partners. Hence FICV is most suited as a Make-I program as envisaged while issuing the EoI in 2010 as well as 2015 to facilitate long term Indigenization through basic design and core technology development within the country with Govt. support and funding in the 80:20 ratio.
Any project for the Indian Air Force (IAF)?
L&T has been an Industry partner for development and production of Composite and Metallic subsystems for Akash, BrahMos, ASTRA, Nirbhay Missile systems. The company also integrates the entire wing sets for LCA and has developed and supplies a range of Avionics LRUs for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program as also various LRUs for Indigenous Helicopter by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Apart from these, L&T has also been contributing to the IAF by supplying various Ground Systems such as Platforms for Radar systems, SatCom equipment for C4I and multiple weapon systems.
Larsen & Toubro’s Make in India success story in defence sector
By: Huma Siddiqui | New Delhi | Published: May 28, 2019 6:44:29 PM
In an exclusive interaction JD Patil, Senior Executive Vice President (Defence Business), Whole Time Director & Member of the Board, L&T talks to Financial Express Online.
JD Patil, Senior Executive Vice President (Defence Business)
In the last few years, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has had numerous “Make in India” success stories in the defence sector. In an exclusive interaction JD Patil, Senior Executive Vice President (Defence Business), Whole Time Director & Member of the Board, L&T talks to Financial Express Online. Following are excerpts:
Any success stories as part of Make in India Initiative?
K9 Vajra-T, Pinaka & BM 21 Upgrade for the Army Artillery, Akash for Army & Air Force, BrahMos, Range of Bridging Systems for Army Engineers, Platform specific Engineering systems for Naval Platform, Floating Dock for the Navy (FDN-2) and Offshore Patrol Vessels & Interceptor Boats for the Coast Guard to name significant ones in public domain.
K9 Vajra-T has the distinction of being the largest Defence contract placed on a private sector company for delivery of 100 howitzers in a span of three & a half years. In order to meet this stringent delivery schedule, a dedicated Armoured systems facility including a world-class Test Track at L&T’s Hazira Complex was created. This modern ‘Industry 4.0 ready’ factory is the company’s 6th dedicated and 9th Defence production unit and has already started rolling out the K9 Howitzers with 12 systems already delivered to the Army, ahead of schedule. K9-Vajra being delivered currently have reached 75 percent plus indigenous content by work packages.
Pinaka system is the first major indigenously designed & developed Multi Barrel Artillery Rocket Weapon system to be inducted by the Indian Army. Given the indigenous design and development, the program has 90 percent value content produced in India. Our company has been a development & production partner for this program. Deliveries of orders at hand and ordering for further regiments of Pinaka is in the pipeline and expected to be concluded very shortly.
In the Akash program, we deliver launchers, radar masts for 3-D surveillance radars and Integrated Propulsion Airframes for the missiles with above 90 percent indigenous content & value addition. And in production of integrated propulsion airframes the company has attained global benchmarks in deliveries and production scale up.
BrahMos Missiles: We are a partner to BrahMos for the past nearly two decades and produce Launchers and Fire Control systems and integration on Naval Platforms as also produce Missile Subsystems and related hardware with 90 percent indigenous content. We play a dominant role in equipping the Army with Range of Bridging equipment and Systems from 5m to 75m spans. These are produced with 95 percent indigenous content.
Having committed to ‘Make in India’ & “Design in India” in letter and spirit, L&T has designed and engineered, in-house, all the 50 platforms delivered till date to Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy. And have attained the distinction of delivering all the Shipbuilding programs awarded by MoD ahead of schedule including the first of class FDN as well as CG-OPVs.
Is the company working on projects with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)?
We have proactively taken up development of unmanned systems for all the four domains of warfare by building solutions for UGVs in partnership with DRDO, AUV, and USVs as well as UAVs in-house. We also partnered DRDO Laboratories in development of Chemical Agent Monitors that attained global benchmark performance, as well as O-Box besides a range of Avionics LRUs for indigenous LCA (Tejas) and ALH platforms.
With several mega defence programs like P75 (I), LPD, New Generation Warships (Frigates, Destroyers, Corvettes, Missile vessels, OPVs etc.), Air Defence Programs (Akash, MRSAM, CIWS) in the Ordering pipeline.
Leveraging our in-house R&D capability we have built a range of Naval Missile Launch Systems, Rocket Launch Systems, Torpedo Launch systems for Warships and Weapon Complexes for Submarines and Underwater platforms, most of them integrated with homegrown Fire Control Systems.
Any other guns for the Indian Army?
Currently, we are working on an Air Defence – CIWS program and are midst of realizing major building blocks/subsystems for integrating the system for user trial. We have successfully developed and qualified in the Towed gun program with Nexter Systems as our partner, and also had participated in upgrade programs like L-70 and Zu-23 and T-72 EOFCS earlier and realized these solutions indigenously. And will leverage the learning and experience gained from these programs in the upcoming Mounted Gun System program.
What is the current status of the long-pending Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV)?
FICV is a uniquely defined platform for Indian Army’s future needs with a combination of Amphibious & Desert operations capability with contemporary mobility, surveillance & protection solutions as well as weapon suite with smart ammunition to address the evolving environment. FICV was announced as the first `Make’ program in 2010 under DPP 2008 after nearly four years of stakeholder dialogues and consultations including with Industry majors.
Through the first Expression of Interest (EoI) of Oct 2010 to second EoI of June 2015, and realising that the program has been put on the cold store in 2018, we continued to develop building blocks for indigenous FICV with futuristic digital technologies.
We have not received any formal communication on the program since Oct 2016 and neither for re-categorization of FICV program under Make II. Having been closely involved as Apex chamber representatives in the consultative process during the formulation of `Make II’, we all in the Industry is aware that the `Make II’ procedure is primarily a means of Import substitution through the development of Minor Platforms, sub-systems, spares and equipment in a short development period by leveraging the readily available mature technologies to cut the country’s import dependence.
On the contrary, FICV is a Major platform involving Critical Technologies including those demanded by the User requiring a long development cycle and/or significant investments to acquire these from Foreign Technology Partners. Hence FICV is most suited as a Make-I program as envisaged while issuing the EoI in 2010 as well as 2015 to facilitate long term Indigenization through basic design and core technology development within the country with Govt. support and funding in the 80:20 ratio.
Any project for the Indian Air Force (IAF)?
L&T has been an Industry partner for development and production of Composite and Metallic subsystems for Akash, BrahMos, ASTRA, Nirbhay Missile systems. The company also integrates the entire wing sets for LCA and has developed and supplies a range of Avionics LRUs for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program as also various LRUs for Indigenous Helicopter by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Apart from these, L&T has also been contributing to the IAF by supplying various Ground Systems such as Platforms for Radar systems, SatCom equipment for C4I and multiple weapon systems.
Larsen & Toubro’s Make in India success story in defence sector
This glowing sensor can sniff out explosives
By Susheela Srinivas, Last Updated: Thursday 30 May 2019
Nitro-aromatics are industrial-class chemicals used widely in making dyes, pesticides and polymers. However, they also form the primary compounds of explosives like Trinitrotoluene (TNT), which are hazardous chemicals, hard to detect, and pose civilian as well as military safety threat.
Conventional methods used to detect explosives involve employing sniffer dogs or sophisticated instruments, which are neither economical nor readily translated for field use.
A group of Indian scientists has now developed a new polymer-based fluorescent optical sensor, which is a highly sensitive, selective and economically viable explosive detector.
The polymer material was synthesised using the Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain-Transfer (RAFT) co-polymerisation technique. The material — alanyl-based fluorescent dansyl tagged co-polymer (DCP) — exhibits yellow-green fluorescence under ultra violet light and works on ‘quenching’ of the emission. Quenching is a property wherein the usually electron-rich fluorescent material transfers electrons — by photo-induced- electron-transfer — to an electron acceptor like the nitroaromatics. When exposed to explosives, the copolymer loses its fluorescent light intensity, indicating the presence of nitroaromatics.
The quantum yield — which is a measure of the amount of fluorescence of a material — for the copolymer was found to be 77 per cent, in the spectral band of 400-650 nanometer.
“The sensor material we have fabricated is highly emissive and it exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity towards nitroaromatic explosives like DNT, TNT and TNP in solution,even at extremely low concentrations. It is also effective in detecting the saturated vapours of these explosives,” explained Professor Soumitra Satapathi of Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, who led the research team, while speaking to India Science Wire.
To explore the possibility of using the fluorescent co-polymer as a sensor array, the team developed a prototype thin film sensor and exposed it to the vapours of the explosives. “We noticed significant quenching of the fluorescence, in real time measurement mode, implying its suitability for field applications as well,” added Vishal Kumar, another team member.
For practical applications, the team then developed a paper polymer sensor. In controlled experiments, when the sensor was exposed to DNT vapours under UV light, there was an immediate quenching — which was even visible to the naked eye — as the fluorescence diminished drastically.
“This sensor is economical, portable and efficient, and has the potential for applications in defence and forensic fields, to monitor public spaces, or monitor seepage and pollutants of nitro-aromatics in groundwater systems,” added Satapathi. The group is now working to expand the use of the sensor to a broader range of explosives.
The research team included Satapathi, Vishal Kumar and Mrinmoy Kumar Chini (IIT Roorkee); Binoy Maiti and Priyadarsi De (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata). The study is published in journal Scientific Reports. (India Science Wire)
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news...glowing-sensor-can-sniff-out-explosives-64806
By Susheela Srinivas, Last Updated: Thursday 30 May 2019
Nitro-aromatics are industrial-class chemicals used widely in making dyes, pesticides and polymers. However, they also form the primary compounds of explosives like Trinitrotoluene (TNT), which are hazardous chemicals, hard to detect, and pose civilian as well as military safety threat.
Conventional methods used to detect explosives involve employing sniffer dogs or sophisticated instruments, which are neither economical nor readily translated for field use.
A group of Indian scientists has now developed a new polymer-based fluorescent optical sensor, which is a highly sensitive, selective and economically viable explosive detector.
The polymer material was synthesised using the Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain-Transfer (RAFT) co-polymerisation technique. The material — alanyl-based fluorescent dansyl tagged co-polymer (DCP) — exhibits yellow-green fluorescence under ultra violet light and works on ‘quenching’ of the emission. Quenching is a property wherein the usually electron-rich fluorescent material transfers electrons — by photo-induced- electron-transfer — to an electron acceptor like the nitroaromatics. When exposed to explosives, the copolymer loses its fluorescent light intensity, indicating the presence of nitroaromatics.
The quantum yield — which is a measure of the amount of fluorescence of a material — for the copolymer was found to be 77 per cent, in the spectral band of 400-650 nanometer.
“The sensor material we have fabricated is highly emissive and it exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity towards nitroaromatic explosives like DNT, TNT and TNP in solution,even at extremely low concentrations. It is also effective in detecting the saturated vapours of these explosives,” explained Professor Soumitra Satapathi of Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, who led the research team, while speaking to India Science Wire.
To explore the possibility of using the fluorescent co-polymer as a sensor array, the team developed a prototype thin film sensor and exposed it to the vapours of the explosives. “We noticed significant quenching of the fluorescence, in real time measurement mode, implying its suitability for field applications as well,” added Vishal Kumar, another team member.
For practical applications, the team then developed a paper polymer sensor. In controlled experiments, when the sensor was exposed to DNT vapours under UV light, there was an immediate quenching — which was even visible to the naked eye — as the fluorescence diminished drastically.
“This sensor is economical, portable and efficient, and has the potential for applications in defence and forensic fields, to monitor public spaces, or monitor seepage and pollutants of nitro-aromatics in groundwater systems,” added Satapathi. The group is now working to expand the use of the sensor to a broader range of explosives.
The research team included Satapathi, Vishal Kumar and Mrinmoy Kumar Chini (IIT Roorkee); Binoy Maiti and Priyadarsi De (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata). The study is published in journal Scientific Reports. (India Science Wire)
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news...glowing-sensor-can-sniff-out-explosives-64806
@randomradio remember our little discussion about the AK-630 and its possible replacement ? Well some related developments.
Bharat Dynamics bags Rs 1,188 cr contract from Indian Navy
M. Somasekhar, Hyderabad | Updated on June 13, 2019, Published on June 13, 2019
File photo - KSL
Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has signed a contract worth of Rs 1,187.82 crore for supply of Heavy Weight Torpedoes - Varunastra - to the Indian Navy.
The contract was inked by NP Diwakar, Director (Technical), BDL and Nidhi Chhibber, Joint Secretary & Acquisition Manager (Maritime & Systems), Ministry of Defence, Govt of India in New Delhi.
The execution of the contract will be over the next 42 months. The weapon will be manufactured at BDL Visakhapatnam Unit under collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Heavy Weight Torpedo or the Varunastra is a ship launched, electrically propelled underwater weapon equipped with one of the most advanced automatic and remote controlled guidance systems.
According to the BDL the weapon system uses its own intelligence in tracing the target. The Hyderabad-based defence public sector undertaking is the main producer of the country's range of missiles and missile defence systems.
Bharat Dynamics bags Rs 1,188 cr contract from Indian Navy
M. Somasekhar, Hyderabad | Updated on June 13, 2019, Published on June 13, 2019
File photo - KSL
Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has signed a contract worth of Rs 1,187.82 crore for supply of Heavy Weight Torpedoes - Varunastra - to the Indian Navy.
The contract was inked by NP Diwakar, Director (Technical), BDL and Nidhi Chhibber, Joint Secretary & Acquisition Manager (Maritime & Systems), Ministry of Defence, Govt of India in New Delhi.
The execution of the contract will be over the next 42 months. The weapon will be manufactured at BDL Visakhapatnam Unit under collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Heavy Weight Torpedo or the Varunastra is a ship launched, electrically propelled underwater weapon equipped with one of the most advanced automatic and remote controlled guidance systems.
According to the BDL the weapon system uses its own intelligence in tracing the target. The Hyderabad-based defence public sector undertaking is the main producer of the country's range of missiles and missile defence systems.
Bharat Dynamics bags Rs 1,188 cr contract from Indian Navy
Oh how I wish they could say this to the DPSUs
“Export or perish”, MoD warns private defence firms
MoD official, Sanjay Jaju, frankly told the private sector to focus on exports since "We cannot support so many of you"
By Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 18th June 19
The ministry of defence (MoD) on Monday issued a blunt warning to private sector defence firms that they must find customers overseas for the weapons and equipment they produce, rather than relying on the government for orders.
Addressing a Ficci seminar in Delhi on “Defence Exports Promotion”, Sanjay Jaju, who handles the MoD’s interface with industry, warned that the limited capital budget had to cater for committed liabilities (instalments payable for equipment purchased in previous years), purchases from the defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and ordnance factories (OFs), as well as the private sector.
“The capital budget is currently about one lakh crores. There are certain committed liabilities. Of what remains, a major share goes to the public sector. A small share of the pie goes to the private sector… Not all of you will get orders. We cannot support so many of you”, said Jaju.
He also appeared to be talking down the possibility of any significant raise in the defence capital allocations in the budget next month, from Rs 1,08,133 crore that was allocated in the February budget.
The seminar was organized to explore ways to raise defence exports from the current annual level of Rs 11,000 crore to the US $5 billion (Rs 35,000) crore that the Defence Production Policy of 2018 (DPrP-2018) targets by 2025.
Exports are also essential for meeting the DPrP-2018 target of taking India into the top five defence producers, with an annual turnover of US $26 billion (Rs 180,000 crore). The current defence production turnover is Rs 90,000 crore.
“Exports not just improve our foreign exchange position and enhance our strategic leverage. They are also essential for galvanizing defence industry”, said Jaju. In fact, exports also create economy of scale, bringing down prices of defence products and making them competitive in the global market.
Jaju listed out a series of measures the MoD had taken, or was planning to take, to create an enabling environment for defence exports. The first was to gain Indian entry into three of the four global export control regimes: the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Wassenaar Arrangement and the Australia Group. New Delhi was actively lobbying for entry into the fourth: the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
“We are committing to certain obligations under these regimes so that our industry enjoys a global reputation of being responsible exporters”, he said.
Next, the MoD was streamlining processes to be more responsive to export requests. “The processes we had ourselves created became into stumbling blocks for our exporters. Permissions took up to four months, and our exporters lost opportunities. Now time taken for clearances is just 20-25 days. For export of components, permissions are granted in a week”, said Jaju.
Jaju announced the creation of a “Defence Export-Import Portal”, that he urged all private sector defence exporters to regularly visit. “We will post export opportunity leads that our sources have obtained, which exporters can follow up and translate into business”, he said.
The sources that will be feeding back leads include the defence attaches to Indian embassies across the globe. These officers are being given the responsibility, and sizeable budgets, initially amounting to almost Rs 17 crore, to track export opportunities in their countries of posting.
Private firms that attended overseas defence exhibitions were urged to be a part of “India Pavilions” that the MoD would organize. This would create “synergy and weight” and enable business-to-business interactions under the “overarching umbrella” of an official business delegation.
Jaju urged firms to diversify their bouquet of export products, which currently consisted mainly of components. Urging companies to export full-fledged defence platforms, he said that DPSUs were being given export targets of 25 per cent of their turnover.
On the question of feasibility of tripling defence exports from Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 35,000 crore in just six years, Jaju pointed out that the current level includes only those items that are recognised as defence products. By adding aerospace components produced and exported for civilian aircraft, the current figure is actually larger, he said.
Broadsword: “Export or perish”, MoD warns private defence firms
“Export or perish”, MoD warns private defence firms
MoD official, Sanjay Jaju, frankly told the private sector to focus on exports since "We cannot support so many of you"
By Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 18th June 19
The ministry of defence (MoD) on Monday issued a blunt warning to private sector defence firms that they must find customers overseas for the weapons and equipment they produce, rather than relying on the government for orders.
Addressing a Ficci seminar in Delhi on “Defence Exports Promotion”, Sanjay Jaju, who handles the MoD’s interface with industry, warned that the limited capital budget had to cater for committed liabilities (instalments payable for equipment purchased in previous years), purchases from the defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and ordnance factories (OFs), as well as the private sector.
“The capital budget is currently about one lakh crores. There are certain committed liabilities. Of what remains, a major share goes to the public sector. A small share of the pie goes to the private sector… Not all of you will get orders. We cannot support so many of you”, said Jaju.
He also appeared to be talking down the possibility of any significant raise in the defence capital allocations in the budget next month, from Rs 1,08,133 crore that was allocated in the February budget.
The seminar was organized to explore ways to raise defence exports from the current annual level of Rs 11,000 crore to the US $5 billion (Rs 35,000) crore that the Defence Production Policy of 2018 (DPrP-2018) targets by 2025.
Exports are also essential for meeting the DPrP-2018 target of taking India into the top five defence producers, with an annual turnover of US $26 billion (Rs 180,000 crore). The current defence production turnover is Rs 90,000 crore.
“Exports not just improve our foreign exchange position and enhance our strategic leverage. They are also essential for galvanizing defence industry”, said Jaju. In fact, exports also create economy of scale, bringing down prices of defence products and making them competitive in the global market.
Jaju listed out a series of measures the MoD had taken, or was planning to take, to create an enabling environment for defence exports. The first was to gain Indian entry into three of the four global export control regimes: the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Wassenaar Arrangement and the Australia Group. New Delhi was actively lobbying for entry into the fourth: the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
“We are committing to certain obligations under these regimes so that our industry enjoys a global reputation of being responsible exporters”, he said.
Next, the MoD was streamlining processes to be more responsive to export requests. “The processes we had ourselves created became into stumbling blocks for our exporters. Permissions took up to four months, and our exporters lost opportunities. Now time taken for clearances is just 20-25 days. For export of components, permissions are granted in a week”, said Jaju.
Jaju announced the creation of a “Defence Export-Import Portal”, that he urged all private sector defence exporters to regularly visit. “We will post export opportunity leads that our sources have obtained, which exporters can follow up and translate into business”, he said.
The sources that will be feeding back leads include the defence attaches to Indian embassies across the globe. These officers are being given the responsibility, and sizeable budgets, initially amounting to almost Rs 17 crore, to track export opportunities in their countries of posting.
Private firms that attended overseas defence exhibitions were urged to be a part of “India Pavilions” that the MoD would organize. This would create “synergy and weight” and enable business-to-business interactions under the “overarching umbrella” of an official business delegation.
Jaju urged firms to diversify their bouquet of export products, which currently consisted mainly of components. Urging companies to export full-fledged defence platforms, he said that DPSUs were being given export targets of 25 per cent of their turnover.
On the question of feasibility of tripling defence exports from Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 35,000 crore in just six years, Jaju pointed out that the current level includes only those items that are recognised as defence products. By adding aerospace components produced and exported for civilian aircraft, the current figure is actually larger, he said.
Broadsword: “Export or perish”, MoD warns private defence firms
India’s Infantry Combat Vehicles project may just die from apathy
With the Army failing to convince the bureaucracy to push the project through, it will float in an eternal orbit.
POLITICS | 2-minute read | 18-06-2019 Sandeep Unnithan @SandeepUnnithan
The Indian soldier’s wait for a modern Infantry Combat Vehicle that will carry him into battle protected from enemy fire, continues without an end in sight. A `60,000 crore project, one of the largest indigenous programmes, to build 2,610 Future Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICVs) continues in endless rounds of discussions since October 2016.
Ministry of Defence (MoD) bureaucrats are believed to be uncomfortable over footing an estimated `800 crore bill for funding the prototype building. They have instead suggested that the shortlisted private sector firms fund the building of two prototypes out of their own pockets. The firms say they can’t fund the project, buy or develop the technology because there is no guarantee they will get an order. The problem, as a defence industry official familiar with the project says, is the MoD’s inherent distrust of the private sector.
India has developed its own variant of Russian origin infantry vehicle, BMP-2. (Photo: Reuters)
“The bureaucracy is uncomfortable funding a programme where there is no prototype in sight,” says a defence industry official familiar with developments. And so the chicken and egg impasse continues. The FICV public-private sector partnership was launched in 2006 to replace the Army’s 1980s vintage Soviet-origin BMP-2 ICVs which equip the Army’s 49 mechanised infantry battalions, each with 51 BMP-2s, gradually reaching the end of their service lives.
Their replacement was a 20- tonne tracked FICV with a three-man crew capable of carrying seven fully-armed troops into battle. It would also be equipped with an automatic grenade launcher and an anti-tank missile launcher. The government would fund 80 per cent of the prototype developed by two shortlisted private sector firms.
The FICV was part of three high profile ‘Make’ projects for the Indian Army, the two others being to develop Tactical Communications Systems and Battlefield Management Systems, intended to encourage private sector participation in the defence sector. It would also address a gap in wholly indigenous defence products and kickstart local product development and, hence, found an enthusiastic backer in the late Manohar Parrikar.
As per the revised schedule in 2015, orders for the first FICV prototypes were to have been placed in early 2017 but the project has hit a limbo after Parrikar’s departure from the MoD in early 2017. There is now talk within the MoD to reboot the project with a fresh Expression of Interest (EOI), the third one of its kind since 2009.
Neighbours China and Pakistan have been modernising their militaries swiftly. (Photo: Reuters)
With the Army failing to convince the bureaucracy to push the project through, it will float in an eternal orbit. This suits import lobbies and foreign equipment manufacturers as dead indigenous projects brighten the chances. Especially ones where foreign firms own Intellectual Property Rights of equipment and allow their products to be assembled in India as ‘Make in India’ programmes.
(Courtesy of Mail Today)
India's arsenal runneth low
With the Army failing to convince the bureaucracy to push the project through, it will float in an eternal orbit.
POLITICS | 2-minute read | 18-06-2019 Sandeep Unnithan @SandeepUnnithan
The Indian soldier’s wait for a modern Infantry Combat Vehicle that will carry him into battle protected from enemy fire, continues without an end in sight. A `60,000 crore project, one of the largest indigenous programmes, to build 2,610 Future Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICVs) continues in endless rounds of discussions since October 2016.
Ministry of Defence (MoD) bureaucrats are believed to be uncomfortable over footing an estimated `800 crore bill for funding the prototype building. They have instead suggested that the shortlisted private sector firms fund the building of two prototypes out of their own pockets. The firms say they can’t fund the project, buy or develop the technology because there is no guarantee they will get an order. The problem, as a defence industry official familiar with the project says, is the MoD’s inherent distrust of the private sector.
India has developed its own variant of Russian origin infantry vehicle, BMP-2. (Photo: Reuters)
“The bureaucracy is uncomfortable funding a programme where there is no prototype in sight,” says a defence industry official familiar with developments. And so the chicken and egg impasse continues. The FICV public-private sector partnership was launched in 2006 to replace the Army’s 1980s vintage Soviet-origin BMP-2 ICVs which equip the Army’s 49 mechanised infantry battalions, each with 51 BMP-2s, gradually reaching the end of their service lives.
Their replacement was a 20- tonne tracked FICV with a three-man crew capable of carrying seven fully-armed troops into battle. It would also be equipped with an automatic grenade launcher and an anti-tank missile launcher. The government would fund 80 per cent of the prototype developed by two shortlisted private sector firms.
The FICV was part of three high profile ‘Make’ projects for the Indian Army, the two others being to develop Tactical Communications Systems and Battlefield Management Systems, intended to encourage private sector participation in the defence sector. It would also address a gap in wholly indigenous defence products and kickstart local product development and, hence, found an enthusiastic backer in the late Manohar Parrikar.
As per the revised schedule in 2015, orders for the first FICV prototypes were to have been placed in early 2017 but the project has hit a limbo after Parrikar’s departure from the MoD in early 2017. There is now talk within the MoD to reboot the project with a fresh Expression of Interest (EOI), the third one of its kind since 2009.
Neighbours China and Pakistan have been modernising their militaries swiftly. (Photo: Reuters)
With the Army failing to convince the bureaucracy to push the project through, it will float in an eternal orbit. This suits import lobbies and foreign equipment manufacturers as dead indigenous projects brighten the chances. Especially ones where foreign firms own Intellectual Property Rights of equipment and allow their products to be assembled in India as ‘Make in India’ programmes.
(Courtesy of Mail Today)
India's arsenal runneth low