Page 2 - Indian Defence Industry

Rs 3 trn by FY29: Rajnath lays down ambitious defence production target

The defence minister also raised the annual export target for aerospace and defence services and production to Rs 50,000 crore in the same time frame

LIVE: BJP meeting underway in Bihar as political uncertainty continues

From a renewed commitment towards India-France partnership to court's decision on Donald Trump having to pay a hefty penalty, catch all the latest updates from around the world here

India-France defence industrial roadmap; Tata, Airbus sign helicopter deal

India and France on Friday unveiled ambitious defence industrial roadmap to co-develop critical military hardware, firmed up a space situational awareness programme even as the Tata Group and Airbus announced to jointly build H125 helicopters following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, announcing the outcomes of Thursday's Modi-Macron talks in Jaipur, said a scheme for exchange of professionals in the age bracket of 18 to 35 years and activation of Schengen visas with a five-year validity for Indian postgraduate alumni alumni of French institutions were among other key decisions. The two sides inked a total of nine agreements that would provide for cooperation in a large number of areas including defence-space partnership, satellite launches boosting engagement in the healthcare sector and scientific research. The pacts inclucded the defence industrial roadmap and the Tata-Airbus deal. The two sides also

Best of BS Opinion: Public versus private challenges, Crash test & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Public versus private challenges

The struggle to bridge the gap between defence exports and imports raises questions about the viability of strategic partnerships

Defence PSU making headway in developing indigenous top-end military gear

Troop Comforts Ltd (TCL), a defence PSU, has received a request for proposal (RFP) for a number of its indigenously developed military gear while several of its products are in the field trial stage. Among the products being developed by the company are boots and crampons, ice pitons, hammer pitons, sleeping bags and multi-purpose bags, besides clothing items. The RFPs have been received from the Northern Command of the Indian Army, while field trials are going under the Eastern Command, its officials said. TCL was carved out of the erstwhile Ordnance Factory Board and commenced functioning under its present format in October 2021. We are working on indigenously developing specialised gear needed for our personnel posted in difficult terrain, from mountainous regions to extremely cold conditions, Ranveer Singh, junior works manager, told PTI. We had been importing most of these gear entirely or at least major components of them. Now, we are working on developing the products with

First long-range side swing revolver launched, can hit targets up to 50 m

The country's first long-range side swing revolver 'Prabal' with "twice the range of other revolvers" was launched on Friday for civilians and arms dealers. Manufactured by the state-owned enterprise Advanced Weapons and Equipment India (AWEIL) based in Kanpur, the Prabal revolver boasts of a firing range of up to 50 metres, officiating director Rajiv Sharma said. Sharma said the .32 bore revolver is capable of accurately hitting targets up to 50 metres away. "This range is more than double that of other revolvers currently in production, establishing Prabal as a frontrunner in the field of long-range handguns," he added. "The feature that sets Prabal apart from its counterparts is the incorporation of a side swing out cylinder. This innovative design element eliminates the need to fold the firearm for cartridge insertion, simplifying the reloading process and enhancing user convenience," he said. Sharma said the single and double action 'Prabal' revolver weighs 675 grams (excludi

US-India defence cooperation: Fighter jet engines to ship repairs

HAL-GE's India plant could eventually produce close to a 1,000 F414 engines

PM Modi in US: India, US launch defence acceleration ecosystem Indus-X

The Indus-X seeks to "expand the strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation" between US and India

SFC carries out successful training launch of Agni-1 ballistic missile

India on Thursday carried out a successful training launch of the Agni-1 ballistic missile that validated all operational and technical parameters of the strategic weapon. The defence ministry said the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) carried out the missile launch from APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha. "A successful training launch of a medium-range ballistic missile, Agni-1, was carried out by the Strategic Forces Command from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha, on June 1," it said in a statement. "The missile is a proven system, capable of striking targets with a very high degree of precision. The user training launch successfully validated all operational and technical parameters of the missile," it said. In the last two decades, India has been focusing on enhancing its strategic deterrent capability by developing various ballistic missiles, precision-guided munitions and related platforms. India has developed various variants of the Agni series of missiles. In December last, India

To boost self-reliance, Centre approves indigenisation of 928 defence items

The defence ministry has approved a fresh list of 928 components and subsystems which will only be procured from domestic industry after a ban on their import kicks in under a staggered timeline of around five-and-a-half years. The ministry on Sunday said the aim of the move is in sync with the government's overall aim to promote 'Aatmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in defence production. It is the fourth such "positive indigenisation list (PIL)" comprising line replacement units, sub-systems and components used for various military platforms, equipment and weapons. "To promote 'Aatmanirbharta' in defence and minimise imports by defence public sector undertakings, the Ministry of Defence has approved fourth Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of 928 strategically-important line replacement units/sub-systems/spares and components, including high-end materials and spares, with import substitution value worth Rs 715 crore," the ministry said in a statement. The aim of the indigenisation li

India exported military hardware worth Rs 13,399 crore in current fiscal

India exported military hardware worth Rs 13,399 crore till March 6 in the current fiscal, a significant increase from just Rs 4,682 crore in 2017-18, according to official data. The details of the year-wise export of military hardware were provided in the Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt while replying to a question. Bhatt said the total defence exports in 2021-22 stood at Rs 12,815 crore while it was Rs 8,435 crore in 2020-21, Rs 9,116 crore in 2019-20 and Rs 10,746 crore in 2018-19. The amount in 2017-18 was Rs 4,682 crore. The minister said the total value of defence exports till March 6 in the current fiscal was Rs 13,399 crore. "The government has given focus on the indigenisation of various defence items to achieve 'Aatmanirbharta' (self-reliance). The indigenised items made from local resources become globally cost competitive and it also facilitates integration of MSMEs in the global supply chain," Bhatt said. "The new technologies developed by DRDO

Defence procurement from foreign sources reducing, shows govt data

The expenditure on defence procurement from foreign sources has reduced from 46 per cent of the overall expenditure in 2018-19 to 36.7 per cent as per data till December last, according to government data. Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt, replying to a question in Rajya Sabha on Monday, listed 155mm Artillery Gun system 'Dhanush'', Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, surface-to air missile system 'Akash', main battle tank 'Arjun', T-90 tank, T-72 tank and Cheetah helicopter as indigenous key defence projects. "The expenditure on defence procurement from foreign sources has reduced from 46 per cent of overall expenditure in 2018-19 to 36.7 per cent as per data till December, 2022," he said on Monday. Last month, Bhatt said Kalashnikov AK-203 rifles for Indian armed forces were under manufacturing and testing stage at an Indo-Russian joint venture at Korwa in Uttar Pradesh. Bhatt said the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Ltd (IRRPL) has established all facilities to commence production

Indian Ambassador to UAE, Sunjay Sudhir visits IDEX exhibition in Dubai

Indian Ambassador to UAE Sunjay Sudhir visited the BrahMos Aerospace stall at the IDEX defence exhibition there. The Indian envoy was briefed on the different projects

Garuda Aerospace inks pact with Narayana Health, to ferry medical supplies

Drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace has joined hands with healthcare provider Narayana Health towards transporting of bio-medical supplies using their 'Sanjeevani' drone, the company said on Friday. The partnership between the two aims to ensure faster delivery of medical supplies including samples for diagnosis during challenging conditions. "With the help of Garuda Aerospace's Sanjeevani drone, Narayana Health will be able to transport bio-medical supplies quickly, ensuring patients receive timely diagnosis and treatments." Garuda Aerospace said. The drones would be able to provide emergency healthcare in remote and under served areas as well, it said. "Our aim is to improve access to critical medical supplies and support the delivery to patients in need and in times of emergency," Garuda Aerospace founder-CEO Agnishwar Jayaprakash said in a statement. On their association with Garuda Aerospace, Narayana Health Chairman Dr Devi Shetty said, "by partnering with Garuda Aerospace,

We aim to create vibrant, world-class domestic defence industry: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that the government aims to create a vibrant and world-class domestic defence industry to achieve the goal of 'Atmanirbhar'

Aero India 2023: Rajnath to chair aerospace, defence biz CEOs round table

The Defence Ministry will organise a 'CEOs Round Table' on February 13, the inaugural day of Aero India 2023, under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, an official statement said

Best of BS Opinion: Defence industry perks up, wealth & inequality and more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Defence industry perks up: India's decades-old ambition and its paradoxes

It may be too early for isolated deals and breakthrough domestic R&D to register on a large scale, but those in the sector talk of winds of change, writes T N Ninan

BEL, YIL join hands for ammunition hardware, military grade components

Navratna defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has signed an MoU with Yantra India Limited (YIL) for co-operation in the areas of ammunition hardware and military grade components to jointly address the requirements of Indian defence and export markets. The pact aims at leveraging the complementary strengths and capabilities of BEL and YIL, a state-owned defence company, and sharing of manufacturing and test infrastructure/resources for the production of arms and ammunition and related systems, the Bengaluru-headquartered BEL said in a statement on Tuesday.