Imported share of 'indigenous' weaponry down from 48% to 40% in last 4 yrs

50,000 aerospace parts now built in India; 80,000 more can be built

Import dependence remains a major problem even in indigenous weapons systems, with up to 40 per cent of the value of “Made in India” armaments accounted for by components sourced from abroad, said Secretary for Defence Production Ajay Kumar.

On Friday, addressing an Indian Air Force (IAF) – defence industry seminar in New Delhi, Kumar highlighted the scale of the problem. “Last year, the total production by defence PSUs (public sector undertakings) and OFB (Ordnance Factory Board) was about Rs 590 billion, of which Rs 138 billion was the value of imported components. That is roughly 24 per cent. But