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“Delighted to inform everyone that the Indian Defence Exports have scaled to unprecedented heights and crossed Rs 21,000 crore mark for the first time in the history of Independent India! India’s defence exports have reached to the level of Rs 21,083 crore in the financial year 2023-24 which is a spectacular growth of 32.5 per cent over the previous fiscal,”  the Defence Minister posted on X.

The major defence items being exported include Personal Protective Items, Offshore Patrol Vehicles, ALH Helicopters, SU Avionics, Coastal Surveillance Systems, Light Engineering Mechanical Parts, Kavach MoD. Among others, these defence items have emerged as key contributors to India’s defence export portfolio.

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Positive Indigenisation Lists

Fifth Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of Department of Military Affairs (DMA) comprising 98 items was released by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh during the plenary session of ‘Swavlamban 2.0’. The list includes Highly complex systems, sensors, weapons and ammunition have been included in the list. All these items will be procured from indigenous sources as per provisions given in Atmanirbharta in Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 in staggered timeline. The DMA had earlier promulgated four PILs comprising 411 military items. Separately, the Department of Defence Production (DDP) has notified four PILs consisting of a total of 4,666 items, including Line Replacement Units/Sub-systems/Spares & Components for DPSUs. The fourth PIL of 928 items was released by DDP in 2023.

Record Defence Production

The value of defence production in Financial Year (FY) 2022-23 crossed the figure of Rs one lakh crore for the first time ever. It was Rs 95,000 crore in FY 2021-22. The Government is continuously working with defence industries and their associations to remove the challenges faced by them and promote defence production in the country. A number of policy reforms have been taken to achieve the objective of ease of doing business, including the integration of MSMEs and start-ups into the supply chain. Due to these policies, the industries, including MSMEs and start-ups, are forthcoming in defence design, development & manufacturing and there is almost a 200% increase in the number of defence licenses issued to the industries in the last 7-8 years by the Government.

Record Defence Exports

Through consistent policy initiatives of the Government and tremendous contribution of the defence industry, defence exports reached an all-time high of approx. Rs 16,000 crore in FY 2022-23, almost Rs 3,000 crore more than the previous financial year. It a rise of over 10 times since 2016-17. India is now exporting to over 85 countries. Indian industry has shown its capability of design and development to the world, with 100 firms exporting defence products at present. Major platforms being exported include Dornier-228, 155 mm Advanced Towed Artillery Guns, Brahmos Missiles, Akash Missile System, Radars, Simulators, Mine Protected Vehicles, Armoured Vehicles, PINAKA Rockets & Launchers, Ammunitions, Thermal Imagers, Body Armours, besides Systems, Line Replaceable Units and Parts & components of Avionics and Small Arms. There is growing global demand of LCA-Tejas, Light Combat Helicopters, Aircraft Carrier, MRO activities etc.

Separate Budget for Domestic Industry

Record 75 per cent (approx. Rs one lakh crore) of the defence capital procurement budget was earmarked for domestic industry in FY 2023-24, up from 68 per cent in 2022-23. This was announced by the Raksha Mantri during 14th Aero India in Bengaluru. In FY 2023-24, Ministry of Defence was allocated a total Budget of Rs 5.94 lakh crore, which is 13.18 per cent of the total budget (Rs 45.03 lakh crore). Capital outlay pertaining to modernisation and infrastructure development was increased to Rs 1.63 lakh crore.

HAL Helicopter Factory

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Helicopter Factory was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at Tumakuru in Karnataka. The factory is India’s largest helicopter manufacturing facility and will initially produce Light Utility Helicopters (LUHs). The LUH is an indigenously designed and developed three-ton class, single engine multipurpose utility helicopter with unique features of high manoeuvrability. Initially, the factory will produce around 30 helicopters per year and can be enhanced to 60 and then 90 per year in a phased manner.

ALSO READ:Safran and HAL to form joint venture company for helicopter engines

LCA Tejas

HAL handed over the first twin-seater Light Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas’ to the IAF in the presence of Rakha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in Bengaluru. It is a light weight, all weather multi-role 4.5 generation aircraft, designed to support the training requirements of the IAF and augment itself to the role of a fighter in case of necessity. It is an amalgamation of contemporary concepts and technologies such as relaxed static-stability, quadraplex fly-by-wire flight control, carefree manoeuvring, advanced glass cockpit, integrated digital avionics systems and advanced composite materials for the airframe. The IAF placed an order for 83 LCAs with HAL.

C-295 Transport Aircraft

First C-295 MW transport aircraft was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh. The aircraft are being inducted through a collaboration between Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Airbus Defence and Space S.A., Spain. Fifteen more aircraft will be delivered in flyaway condition and they are scheduled to be received till August 2025. Remaining forty will be manufactured at the C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility, the foundation stone of which was laid by the Prime Minister in Vadodara, Gujarat in October 2022. The first Made in India aircraft is expected from September 2026. This medium lift tactical aircraft, which is capable of taking off and landing from unprepared landing grounds, will replace the HS-748 Avro aircraft.

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In continuous pursuit of self-reliance in defence manufacturing and to minimise imports by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’, Dept of Defence Production (DDP) notified 4th Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of 928 items on May 12, 2023, which includes LRUs/ sub-systems/ assemblies/ sub-assemblies, raw material, low value critical spares and components of DPSUs for time-bound indigenisation. These items are to be indigenised within the timelines of December 2023 to December 2029. As compared to previous year, 4500+ items of Srijan Portal including 173 PIL items, have been indigenised in 2023.

To give fillip to the ongoing indigenisation, a portal – www.srijandefence.gov.in – was launched in August 2020 for DPSUs/Services with an industry interface to provide development support to MSMEs/ Startups/ Industry for import substitution.

The MoD has successfully indigenised 10,451 items during the period of 3 years since the launch of Srijan Portal. More than 34,000 items were uploaded by the DPSUs and Service Headquarters on Srijan Portal for indigenisation by Industry. This includes the 4,666 items under PILs being notified by DDP.

Standardisation of defence equipment/ inventory is undertaken through 13 Standardisation Sub-Committees dealing with specialized equipment/ technologies. During 2023, a new Standardisation Sub-Committee namely, Marine Equipment Standardisation Sub-Committee, was formed to formulate Standards for Marine Equipment.

During 2023, training on standardisation and codification was imparted to 333 personnel of Tri-Services, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), Authority Holding Sealed Particulars (AHSPs), Ordnance Factories and civil industries, through two Training Institutes located at Pune and Badarpur (New Delhi).

The 14th edition of Aero India-2023 was held from 13th–17th February at Bengaluru, Karnataka and has been the largest ever edition since its inception in 1996 with more than 100 countries, 809 exhibitors, first ever Fly past with 53 aircrafts showcasing our airpower to global attendees and a total footfall of 7+ lakh visitors over five days.

Start-ups promotion was a focus area at Aero India-2023 with Indian Start-ups being showcased at an exclusive iDEX pavilion, and at the Chiefs of Air Staff Conclave. The Annual Start-up event ‘Manthan’ was also conducted. The maiden iDEX Investor Hub (iIH) was conducted with over Rs 200 crore pledged during iIH.

A concerted effort was made towards forging B2B partnerships at the ‘Bandhan’ ceremony and more than 250 such partnerships with a total value of more than Rs 75,000 crore have been finalized. The partnerships are a step towards increasing traction for business, ToT and Joint development between the companies.

Defence Exports

Export leads received from various stakeholders are being disseminated to the registered Indian Defence Exporters through online portal. This facility helps the Indian defence exporters to quickly respond to export opportunities arising in other countries. The online portal has been upgraded with a feedback mechanism from Indian Industry for online monitoring/ follow-up of the disseminated export leads. Total 245 leads have been disseminated through the portal since Jan 2023.

In order to boost defence exports, webinars were organized with Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs) under the aegis of DDP, MoD through Industry Associations. Total 26 webinars have been organised since Jan 2023.

A scheme for financial assistance to Defence Attaches (DAs) for promotion of “Brand India” in defence was approved by the RM in Nov’ 2023. Under this scheme DAs have been mandated for export promotion of Indigenous defence products of both public and private sector through enhanced financial grants to the Indian missions. For FY 2023-24, DAs of 64 countries were allocated a total of Rs. 3.76 crores.

An institutional support mechanism has been created for facilitation and hand-holding of Indian defence companies for promoting the export of UN Contingent Owned Equipment (COE) to troop contributing countries.

In line with India’s Defence Export Strategy to enhance defence exports, 1310 Export Authorisations were issued by Dept of Defence Production to 73 countries during 2023, having value of Rs. 13345 crore.

Defence Innovations

During 2023, 101 winners of iDEX challenges were declared, 131 contracts were signed and 15 prototypes were developed. Three versions of Defence India Start-up Challenges (DISC) i.e., DISC 8, DISC 9 & DISC X were launched. Three versions of Open Challenges, i.e., OC 7, OC 8 & OC 9 were launched.

iDEX in partnership with US DoD conducted the India-U.S. Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUX-X) event in Washington DC, USA on 20-21 June 2023. The initiative will expand the strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation between the start-up eco-system, businesses, and academic institutions.

iDEX Investor Hub (iIH) brought additional funding of Rs 50 cr through ITI Growth Opportunities Fund (a venture capital fund of the Investment Trust of India group), raising the total iIH amount to Rs 260 cr.

Swavlamban 2023. During Swavlamban 2023 event on 4 Oct 2023, Raksha Mantri launched a number of initiatives.

Collaboration with US DoD. Along with 76 Challenges of DISC X, 5 problem statements under iDEX 4 Fauji and first 2 challenges under ‘INDUS-X Mutual Promotion of Advanced Collaborative Technologies’ (IMPACT were jointly launched by iDEX and United States Department of Defence (US, DoD).

iDEX-Navy Venture for Technology (iNVent): Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) and Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) entered into an MoU for jointly working on facilitating the infusion of Venture Capital into the defence ecosystem through the iDEX Investor Hub (iIH).

DAC Approvals. Indigenous Design & Development of Defence Systems has been undertaken through ‘Make Procedure’ provided under Defence Acquisition Procedure-2020. In 2023, 18 projects were accorded ‘Approval-in-principle’ bringing the total tally to 149 projects. Also, 11 projects have been accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) in 2023, taking the number of AoN projects to 60.

Defence Industrial Corridors. Two Defence Industrial Corridors (DIC) have been established at Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to boost Defence Manufacturing ecosystem in the country with intent to attract investment of Rs. 10,000 Crore in each DIC. In Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC), Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), the nodal agency, has signed 138 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with industries, etc. Actual investment of Rs. 2656 core has been made in UPDIC. In Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor (TNDIC), Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), the nodal agency, has made arrangements through 57 MoUs, etc. Actual investment of Rs. 4085 Crore has been made in TNDIC.

Helicopter Factory. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated HAL’s New Helicopter factory in Tumkuru to the nation on 6th Feb ’23. During the same event, Prime Minister unveiled HAL’s indigenously designed and developed Light Utility Helicopter (LUH).

DPSU’s Successes

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh inaugurated first overseas regional marketing office of HAL in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 11 July 2023.

HAL received the ‘State Export Excellence Award’ (for the years 2017-18, 2018-19 & 2019-20) from Department of Industries and Commerce, Govt. of Karnataka under the category of ‘Govt. of India Undertaking Exporter’ on 22 Jul 2023.

HAL played key role in success of Chandrayaan-3 including on-time delivery of 30 types of rivetted structure, six types of welded structure and the satellite’s bus structure Rover, Lander and Castings & Forgings, appreciation received.

ASTRA indigenous Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, successfully fired from Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) LSP-7, off the coast of Goa on 23 Aug 2023. All the objectives of the test were met. This was a joint effort by ADA and HAL.

HAL received DGCA approval under ‘CAR21 Subpart G’ for series production of Hindustan 228 aircraft, indigenously built, as Make-in-India project and ‘Maintenance Type Training Certificate’ under CAR147 under category B1 and B2 for imparting AME type rated licence on Hindustan-228 aircraft.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited HAL Bangalore on 25 Nov 2023 and undertook a sortie on the LCA Tejas Twin Seater Aircraft. PM is the first Prime Minister of the Country who undertook a sortie in our home grown technology marvel-Tejas.

Indigenous Air Traffic Management System (ATMAS), jointly developed & installed by BEL and Airports Authority of India (AAI), was inaugurated & commissioned at Bhubaneswar airport on 27 Oct 2023.

Combat trial of indigenously developed Varunastra, a ship-launched anti-submarine heavy-weight torpedo (HWT) was successfully conducted on 6 June 2023 by Indian Navy. The Torpedo was fired from a submarine and successfully hit an underwater target demonstrating the combat worthiness and capable of meeting the Navy’s operational requirements. BDL has manufactured and supplied the torpedo and associated in integration, torpedo preparation for sea trials and firing onboard ship.

BDL has launched three new products i.e., Vertically Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL SRSAM), SAL Seeker ATGM for BMP II and Drone Delivered Missile (JISHNU) during the Bandhan event at Aero India held in Feb 2023.

BDL carried out field firing of 3rd Generation Fire and Forget Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile named Amogha-III on 26 Mar 2023.

The i-ATS (Indigenous- Automatic Train Supervision) system, developed by BEL, was formally launched on the Delhi Metro Red Line on 18 Feb 2023 from the Operations Control Centre (OCC), Shastri Park.

MIDHANI indigenously developed SNI C276 sheets, a premier corrosion-resistant material. Alloy C276, strengthened with nickel, molybdenum, chromium, and a touch of tungsten, excels in oxidizing and reducing environments used for flue gas purification. This achievement was appreciated at BHEL SAMVAAD 3.0 held at New Delhi on 9 Nov 2023.

MIDHANI developed 1000th heat in the indigenously developed Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR) furnace within 6 years.

MIDHANI launched five newly developed products and signed 11 MoUs during the 14th edition of Aero India 2023, organised by BEL along with HAL, held at Yelahanka, Bengaluru on 13-17 Feb 2023.

The 4th ship of Project-17A “Mahendragiri”, built by MDL, was launched on 1 Sep 2023.

Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and Foundation for Science innovation and Development, IISC Bengaluru signed MoU on 29 July 2023 towards fostering joint development and implementation of AI technologies in the field of shipbuilding & defence applications.

GSL & Kenya Shipyards Limited signed MoU in Capacity Building & for collaboration in ship design & construction, during the bilateral meeting held between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Defence, Aden Bare Duale in New Delhi.

Yard ‘Infrastructure Augmentation Plan’ worth Rs. 1393.55 cr was executed in five phases and completed in all manners on 31 Mar 2023 by GSL.

Two Diving Support Vessels (DSV), indigenously designed by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), are being built for Indian Navy for the first time by an Indian yard.

HSL has received three Inmex Maritime Excellence Awards in categories of Best Ship Repair Company, Best Technology Innovation and Women Leadership Award.

IOL has signed 13 MOUs valuing approx Rs 6,100 crore for cooperation in designing, development, manufacture, upgradation etc. of new products/ technologies with different parties like BEML and others.

In pursuance of MoD’s policy to promote ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ Programmes, IOL has indigenised many ex-import components/sub-assemblies using Srijan portal. IOL has placed 101 project sanction orders on Indian manufacturers, under Make-II scheme of DAP-2020 and 8 RFPs/EOIs have also been published. IOL has 189 items in PIL1 and 47 items in PIL3 Lists, out of which 184 Items have already been indigenised. IOL has also sponsored five innovative technology projects under iDEX.

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This increase is due to a number of factors, including the Make in India initiative, which has encouraged the development of a domestic defence manufacturing industry. The government has also been providing financial incentives to defence exporters, and has been working to improve the ease of doing business in the defence sector.

Promotion of Defence Exports

The government has taken a number of steps to promote defence exports in recent years. These include:

• Streamlining export procedures: Export procedures have been simplified to make it easier for companies to export defence equipment and technologies. This includes reducing the number of approvals required, and making it easier to obtain export licenses.

• Providing financial incentives: A number of financial incentives have been introduced to encourage defence exports. These include the Scheme for Promotion of Defence Exports (SPDE), which provides financial support for attending international defence exhibitions, marketing, and publicity of Indian defence products abroad.

• Encouraging partnerships with overseas firms: Indian defence companies have been encouraged to form partnerships with overseas firms. This can help Indian companies to access new markets, and to gain access to foreign technology and expertise.

• Promoting India’s defence manufacturing capabilities: The Make in India initiative has promoted India’s defence manufacturing capabilities by attracting foreign investment in the defence sector, and encouraged the development of a domestic defence manufacturing industry.

The government is also working to improve the ease of doing business in the defence sector. This includes simplifying the regulatory environment, and providing better infrastructure and support services to defence companies. The government is also working to promote India’s defence exports to countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Streamlining Export Procedures

A number of steps have been taken to streamline export procedures for defence equipment. These include:

•  Establishing a single-window clearance mechanism: A single-window clearance mechanism has been established for defence exports. This means that all approvals required for export of defence equipment can be obtained from a single agency, the Department of Defence Production (DDP).

• Introducing an online export tracking system: An online export tracking system has been introduced for exporters to track the progress of their export applications, and to get updates on the status of their applications.

•  Simplifying the export documentation: The export documentation required for defence exports has been simplified to reduce the time and cost involved in obtaining export licenses.

• Providing online training on export procedures: The government provides online training on export procedures to defence exporters to help exporters understand the export procedures, and to comply with the export regulations.

Financial Incentives

A number of financial incentives have been introduced to encourage defence exports. These include:

• The Scheme for Promotion of Defence Exports (SPDE): The SPDE provides financial support for attending international defence exhibitions, marketing, and publicity of Indian defence products abroad. The scheme also provides financial assistance for the development of new defence products, and for the testing and certification of defence products.

• The Defence Export Promotion Capital Goods (DEPCG) Scheme: The DEPCG Scheme provides financial assistance for the purchase of capital goods by defence exporters. This can help exporters to upgrade their production facilities, and to improve the quality of their products.

• The Defence Export Promotion Rebate (DEPR) Scheme: The DEPR Scheme provides a rebate on customs duty for imported components used in the manufacture of defence exports. This can help to reduce the cost of production for defence exporters.

The SPDE is the main financial incentive for defence exports administered by the Department of Defence Production (DDP). It is a centrally-sponsored scheme, which means that the central government provides the funding.

The SPDE provides financial support for a variety of activities related to defence exports. These activities include:

• Attending international defence exhibitions

• Marketing and publicity of Indian defence products abroad

• Development of new defence products

• Testing and certification of defence products

The SPDE is a competitive scheme. Exporters must submit a proposal to the DDP, and the proposals are evaluated on a number of factors, including the commercial viability of the project, the export potential of the product, and the benefits to the Indian economy.

In addition to the SPDE, there are a number of other financial incentives available to defence exporters. These incentives are available from the central government, as well as from state governments and from financial institutions.

Defence Manufacturing

A number of steps have been taken by the government to promote India’s defence manufacturing capabilities. These include:

• The Make in India initiative: The Make in India initiative was launched in 2014 to attract foreign investment and to encourage the development of a domestic manufacturing industry. The initiative has been successful in attracting foreign investment in the defence sector, and has helped to boost the growth of the Indian defence manufacturing industry.

• The Defence Production Policy 2020: The Defence Production Policy 2020 was released in 2020. The policy aims to promote self-reliance in defence manufacturing, and to increase the share of domestic production in the Indian defence market. The policy includes a number of measures to promote defence manufacturing, such as increasing the FDI limit in the defence sector, and providing financial incentives to defence manufacturers.

• The Strategic Partnership (SP) Model: The SP Model was introduced in 2017. The model allows Indian companies to partner with foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to develop and manufacture defence products in India. The SP Model has helped to attract foreign investment in the Indian defence sector, and has helped to boost the growth of the Indian defence manufacturing industry.

• The Defence Innovation and Research (DIR) Fund: The DIR Fund was launched in 2018 to promote innovation and research in the defence sector. The fund provides financial support to start-ups and small businesses that are developing new defence technologies.

Defence R&D by Private Sector

A number of steps have been taken to enhance defence research & development (R&D) by Indian private sector companies. These steps include:

• The Defence Research and Development Policy 2018: The Policy was aims to promote private sector participation in defence R&D. It includes a number of measures to promote private sector participation, such as providing financial incentives, and setting up defence R&D parks.

• The Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme: Launched in 2016, the iDEX scheme is designed to promote innovation and R&D in the defence sector. The scheme provides financial support to start-ups and small businesses that are developing new defence technologies.

• The Defence Technology Development Fund (TDF): The TDF was launched in 2016 to promote defence R&D by Indian companies. The fund provides financial support to companies that are developing new defence technologies.

• The Defence Innovation and Research (DIR) Fund: The DIR Fund was launched in 2018 to promote innovation and research in the defence sector. The fund provides financial support to start-ups and small businesses that are developing new defence technologies.

Some of the specific incentives and schemes that are available to Indian private sector companies for defence R&D are:

• Financial incentives: The government provides financial incentives in the form of grants, loans, or tax breaks to companies that are involved in defence R&D. These incentives can take the.

• Access to government facilities: The government provides access to its facilities like laboratories, test ranges, and other infrastructure to companies that are involved in defence R&D.

• Collaboration with government agencies: The government collaborates with companies that are involved in defence R&D. This collaboration can take the form of joint research projects, or the sharing of information.

• Access to foreign technology: The government provides access to foreign technology to companies that are involved in defence R&D. This can help companies to develop new technologies that are not available in India.

Comments

The increase in defence exports is also a reflection of India’s growing military power. India is now one of the world’s largest arms importers, and is increasingly looking to develop its own defence capabilities. This has led to an increased demand for Indian-made defence equipment, both from the Indian military and from foreign buyers.

The growth of India’s defence exports is  helping to boost the economy, create jobs, and enhance India’s global standing. It is also helping to reduce India’s dependence on foreign arms imports.

The steps taken to boost exports have helped to streamline export procedures for defence equipment, and have made it easier for companies to export defence equipment from India.

The government is also working to improve the infrastructure and support services available to defence manufacturers. This includes providing better training and education facilities, and improving the availability of raw materials and components. The government is also working to promote defence exports, and to create a more favourable environment for defence manufacturing in India.

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Based on data presented in parliament and published through the Press Information Bureau India’s defence exports record is as follows:

Year       Rs in crores

2013-14                686

2014-15                794

2015-16                1,056

2016-17                1,521

2017-18                4,682

2018-19                10,746

2019-20                9,116

2020-21                8,435

2021-22                12,815

2022-23               15,918 (est)

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The minister also said the value of defence exports in 2021-22 was Rs 12,815 crore while it was Rs 13,398 crore till March 6 in the current fiscal.

To a separate question, he said the modernisation of armed forces to meet future challenges is a continuous process based on the long-term integrated planning process.

“The annual acquisition plan is formulated annually based on inputs from the services and is based on identified threats and inter-service prioritisation and emerging technologies,” Bhatt said.

The minister said there has been a consistent increase in the share of the capital acquisition budget.

“An amount of Rs 1,24,408.66 crore has been earmarked for capital acquisitions in the financial year 2022-23, which has been increased to Rs 1,32,727 crore for the year 2023-24,” Bhatt said.

“Further, the DRDO has undertaken 50 mission mode and technology development projects worth Rs 23,722 crore in the last three years for development of indigenous weapons and technologies,” he said.

Replying to another query, Bhatt said the Indian Navy has opened all branches to women at graduate level entries. The branches are executive, engineering, electrical and education.

The number of women who have applied for recruitment under the executive branch is 3,941, the number for engineering wing is 360, electrical is 652 and 411 have applied for education wing.

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Bhanu Prakash Srivastava, Director (Other Units), BEL, and Mr S K Rout, Director (Operations), MIL, exchanged the MoU documents at Defexpo in the presence of Ravi Kant, CMD, MIL, Joydeep Majumder, Executive Director, BEL and other senior officers of BEL and MIL.

The MoU aims at leveraging the complementary strengths and capabilities of BEL and MIL and strengthens the spirit of the Make In India initiative of Government of India, for achieving self-reliance in Defence Sector. The co-operation will enable the companies to   jointly address the domestic and Export opportunities in the areas of Ammunition, Explosives and related systems and sub systems.

MIL is a DPSU under Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, Government of lndia. MIL, India’s largest manufacturer & market leader, is engaged in the design, development and manufacture of various types of ammunition and explosives including Small, Medium and High Caliber ammunition, Mortars, Rockets, Hand Grenades, High Explosives, Propellants, Initiathe tory Compositions etc.

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The Union minister’s statement came as over 300 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) were signed and several transfer of technology (ToT) agreements and product launches took place with an eye on total investments worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore, during Defence Expo 2022 in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar, according to a statement by the defence ministry.

“The $5 billion export target set for 2025 reflects the intent of the government for export-oriented manufacturing…,” Singh said while speaking at a seminar jointly organised by the US-India Business Council and Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers at Mahatma Mandir here.

“The government is making efforts to take domestic defence production from the current $12 billion to $22 billion by 2025. We may even surpass this target of $22 billion. There is no dearth of opportunities in the defence sector,” he added.

The current era is a “golden period” of the Indian defence sector, Singh said. “Our defence industry is going through an important phase. Our industry has showcased its capabilities by manufacturing fighter aircraft, aircraft carriers, main battle tanks and attack helicopters,” he added.

Singh invited US defence companies to set up manufacturing units in India and develop technological collaboration with Indian industries to create a “global supply chain free from vulnerabilities and uncertainties”. “The path to ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ or self-reliant India consists of a comprehensive set of policy frameworks that seeks to build indigenous technological and production capacity and capability with cooperation, participation and collaborations with reputed institutions and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) from friendly nations,” he said.

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During his address at the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation seminar,Modi emphasised on how research and development has been opened up for the private sector, academia, MSMEs and start-ups in today’s defence ecosystem. He added that the country is moving fast from being the biggest arms importer to a big exporter in the defence sector.

The government is taking all the necessary steps to strengthen the public sector defence companies by organizing them in different sectors. Premier institutions like IITs are being utilized in the fields of defence research and innovation.

“In the last 8 years, we have not only increased the defence budget, but we have also ensured that this budget is useful in the development of the defence manufacturing ecosystem in the country itself. Today, a large part of the budget earmarked for the purchase of defence equipment is being spent on procurement from Indian companies, “he added.

The defence imports in the last 4-5 years have come down by 21 per cent.

As a part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, NIIO in association with the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), aims at inducting at least 75 new indigenous technologies and products into the Indian Navy.

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Replying to a question in Lok Sabha on Tejas, Bhatt said the HAL responded to a Request for Information (RFI) or initial tender received from Royal Malaysian Air Force in February 2019. Subsequently, HAL responded in October 2021 to a Request For Proposal (RFP) issued by Malaysia for 18 aircraft, adding the twin-seater variant of the Tejas was offered.

Malaysia is procuring the aircraft to replace its ageing fleet of Russian MiG-29 fighter planes. The number of aircraft that Malaysia is looking at procuring is not immediately clear. In July, the then Chairman and Managing Director of HAL R Madhavan said the Tejas aircraft has emerged as the top choice for Malaysia.

The indigenous Tejas fighter jet competed with the developed aircraft of China, Russia and South Korea, and due to its features, it overshadowed all the aircraft.

Tejas may have an advantage in the case of the RMAF contract because of its relatively low per-unit cost and HAL’s offer of the package deal, which includes setting up a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Malaysia for its fleet of Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets.

About Tejas LCA

Tejas, manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments.

Tejas is fully capable of carrying a load of eight to nine tonnes. It can fly with as many weapons and missiles as Sukhoi, which weighs more. Its biggest advantage is its speed. Despite being light, its speed is unmatched. These aircraft can fly as fast as the speed of sound, i.e., Mach 1.6 to 1.8, up at an altitude of 52,000 feet.

The Tejas Mark-1A is also costlier than the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft because many latest equipment have been added to it. It has a radar developed in Israel. The aircraft also has an indigenously developed radar. It is very light and its fighter power is also better. It is a multifunctional fighter aircraft.

Tejas is fitted with an active electronically-scanned radar for critical operation capability. It can refuel in the air and be ready for war again. It can target enemy aircraft from a distance. Not only this, it also has the ability to dodge the enemy’s radar.

The open architecture computer systems allow the HAL Tejas to incorporate Russian and Western armaments, giving an edge to the Indian-made light fighter

Tejas made its first flight in January 2001. The aircraft was inducted into the squadron of the Indian Air Force in 2016

In February last year, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas light combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Many countries interested in Tejas LCA

At least seven countries have shown interest in India’s homegrown Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the Indian Defense Ministry informed the Parliament in a statement on August 5.

The US, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines are among six countries, which have shown interest in India’s Tejas aircraft while Malaysia has already shortlisted the jet under its acquisition programme.

The other two countries that have evinced interest in the aircraft are Argentina and Egypt, according to Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt.

In September 2021, HAL responded to the Request for Information (RFI) by the Royal Australian Air Force for procurement of future LIFT aircraft to replace its existing fleet of 33 ‘Hawk MK-127 LIFT aircraft of the British Aerospace and Engineering (BAE) Systems.

In the RAAF tender, LCA Tejas competes with the T-7A Red Hawk trainer that Boeing and Swedish Saab jointly develop; M-346 of the Italian aerospace major Leonardo; and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 that has been co-developed with Lockheed Martin.

In addition, BAE had also proposed its upgraded Hawk. In February, the company was awarded a contract worth $1.5 billion to upgrade the RAAF’s existing fleet of Hawk MK-127, suggesting India is now out of the race to win the Australian LIFT Aircraft contract.

Before Australia, India had offered the LCA Tejas’ LIFT variant to the US Navy in 2020 in response to the global RFI issued by the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to procure a new trainer to replace its fleet of Boeing T-45 Goshawks.

The latest reports suggest that the T-7B Red Hawk, an American/Swedish advanced jet trainer produced by Boeing in partnership with Saab, is competing with offerings from Leonardo and Lockheed Martin to replace the Navy’s current T-45 Goshawk advanced jet trainer.

Even the UAE had shown interest in Tejas LCA in 2018. However, in February, the UAE Defense Ministry announced that it was buying L-15 training and combat aircraft from the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), which was seen as a snub to Tejas.

Argentina could soon be the latest addition to the list of foreign customers of JF-17. In May, a delegation of the Argentine Air Force comprising pilots and technicians visited China for a complete technical evaluation of the J-17 fighter aircraft. It was believed that India had also pitched its Tejas LCA.

India appears to be in talks with the Egyptian Air Force about a potential deal to sell Tejas Mk1A, as part of which India has offered to set up joint production facilities for the aircraft.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, keen to reduce India’s reliance on foreign defence equipment, has also been making diplomatic efforts to export the jets. The Tejas has been beset by design and other challenges, and was once rejected by the Indian Navy as too heavy.

Britain said in April it would support India’s goal of building its own fighter jets. India currently has a mix of Russian, British and French fighter jets.

The LCA Mk1 is already in service, and the more capable LCA-Mk1A, 83 of which the IAF had ordered in February last year, will be delivered to the Indian Air Force by the end of this decade. The first three aircraft are reported to be delivered by 2024, with 16 each for the next five years. In addition to the LCA Tejas Mk2, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has also committed to acquiring at least seven squadrons of the fifth-generation Indian fighter Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), which is also being developed at a breakneck pace, informed the IAF top boss

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