Indian Army cut down ammunition imports significantly due to indigenisation
- In Military & Strategic Affairs
- 11:48 AM, May 18, 2024
- Myind Staff
The Indian Army has decreased its ammunition imports to below 10 percent of the budget due to indigenisation efforts in the defence sector under the Make in India policy, defence officials said.
“The Indian Army has a budget of around Rs 20,000 crores to buy ammunition of different types. Of this budget, the imports would constitute around 40 per cent in the last few years, but now this has been cut down to below 10 per cent due to indigenous options,” top defence officials informed India Today.
Senior defence officials said the rise of the private sector industry in the field of ammunition has helped the force in a big way to achieve this.
The Army is now sourcing multiple types of ammunition indigenously for tanks, artillery guns, rocket launchers, multiple grenade launchers, multi-barrel rocket launchers, and various other equipment.
The Indian Army has expressed its intention to cease the import of ammunition entirely in the next couple of years, except for a few types that may not be commercially viable to produce within the country.
The indigenisation of ammunition has not only cut down the import dependency but has also helped the country to expand its export base.
A lot of the global requirement for ammunition is also being met by the indigenous public sector firms along with a significant share of the private sector industry.
The Indian Army is also guiding the industry to develop the necessary ammunition and allowing them time to further enhance their products.
Some of the industry partners that have helped the Army cut down imports include public sector Munitions India Limited (ex-Ordnance Factory Board firm) and the private sector's Solar Industries Limited, Adani Defence, Hughes Precision and SMPP Limited.
A number of new firms are also coming up in this field, which would help improve the situation further.
The public sector firm MIL has been securing substantial export orders for artillery shells, and the demand in the global market has facilitated the development of new supporting industries. Officials noted that firms from both the private and public sectors are actively developing highly precise guided artillery ammunition, which will significantly benefit the Indian Army's artillery units.
The officials said that the enhanced production capacities within the country could help meet all requirements for ammunition in times of emergency from indigenous sources themselves.
Image source: India Today
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