Rs 217-billion naval chopper to be first 'strategic partner' procurement

Defence ministry sources say the delay stems from the need to draft separate selection criteria for each equipment category

In a statement that will be welcomed by private Indian defence firms and global ‘original equipment manufacturers’ (OEMs), Defence Production Secretary Ajay Kumar indicated on Wednesday that the ministry was giving full importance to the “strategic partner” policy.

After a meeting of the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) in New Delhi, Kumar made it clear that India’s defence industry would need to partner foreign OEMs for manufacturing defence equipment in India.

He said Indian firms’ contribution towards equipping the military would have to be “in partnership with foreign OEMs to begin with.”

To provide the policy framework for