India's military-industrial complexities

Defence industry seeks clarity on a key element of the 'Make in India' initiative

The defence ministry has projected its new “Strategic Partner” (SP) policy as the key to energising defence manufacturing, which would, in turn, galvanise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” initiative. This envisages choosing Indian private sector firms (SPs) to manufacture complex weapons platforms like fighters, helicopters, submarines and tanks in the country, with technology transferred by global “original equipment manufacturers” (OEMs).

But the SP policy remains clouded by contradictions and confusion. It has departed in important ways from its original intent, which was to select a deep-pocketed private sector partner for each equipment segment — such as aircraft, helicopters,