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The NQM is expected to accelerate quantum technology-led economic growth and nurture the ecosystem in India. The mission targets developing intermediate scale quantum computers with 50–1000 physical qubits in eight years, and it will also support the development of satellite-based secure quantum communications, long-distance secure quantum communications with other countries, inter-city quantum key distribution, multi-node quantum networks, magnetometers with high sensitivity in atomic systems, atomic clocks, quantum materials, single photon sources/detectors, entangled photon sources, and more.

Four thematic hubs (T-Hubs) will be set up in top academic and national research and development institutes on the domains of quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing and metrology, and quantum materials and devices.

The NQM is expected to benefit the communication, health, financial, and energy sectors, as well as drug design and space applications. It will also provide a huge boost to national priorities like Digital India, Make in India, Skill India, Stand-up India, Start-up India, Self-Reliant India, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

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To start with, 40 of the 56 C-295MW transport aircraft being procured from Airbus Defence and Space SA, Spain, will be manufactured at the new facility in Vadodara.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Vadodara facility on October 30. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will be among those attending the function.

In September 2021, after the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the procurement of 56 C-295MW transport aircraft from Airbus Defence and Space SA, the Ministry of Defence signed a contract for acquisition of the aircraft with associated equipment.

Addressing a press conference Thursday, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar said that as part of the contract, 16 aircraft will be delivered in flyaway condition and 40 will be manufactured in India by the Indian aircraft contractor, Tata consortium of Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) led by TASL.

“The first 16 flyaway aircraft are scheduled to be received between September 2023 and August 2025. The first Made-in-India aircraft is expected in September 2026,” Kumar said.

The aircraft will be able to operate from Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) and even unprepared runways, and it can carry around 40-45 paratroopers or around 70 passengers.

Sale, Export Plans

The C-295MW transport aircraft project is the first involving the manufacture of a military aircraft in India by a private company. Future plans involve sale of the aircraft to domestic operators — the aircraft can also be used for civilian purposes — and export to countries following government clearance.

“This is for the first time, the C-295 aircraft will be manufactured outside of Europe. This is very significant for the domestic aerospace sector,” he said.

It is also the first project in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company. The total cost of the project is Rs 21,935 crore. The aircraft can be used for civilian purposes as well.

The C-295MW is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the ageing Avro aircraft of the IAF. It has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo. Its abilities include short takeoff and landing from semi-prepared surfaces.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said all 56 aircraft will be fitted with indigenous Electronic Warfare suite of Indian DPSUs, Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Limited.

“After completion of delivery of 56 aircraft to IAF, Airbus Defence & Space will be allowed to sell the aircraft manufactured in India to civil operators and export to countries which are cleared by the Government of India,” it stated.

The project, the Ministry said, offers a unique opportunity for the Indian private sector to enter into technology intensive and highly competitive aviation industry. It will augment domestic aviation manufacturing resulting in reduced import dependence and expected increase in exports.

Also, 96% of the total man hour work per aircraft that Airbus employs at its manufacturing facility in Spain will be undertaken in India by the Tata Consortium, it stated.

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The new Make in India in defence as part of Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) Bharat policy is particularly strong on design. In fact, because of the indigenous technology development efforts, more than 2500 number of patent applications have been filed during the last four years in comparison to 1700 number of cumulative applications filed from inception till then.

Such efforts are likely to have huge impact on development of defence platforms to meet the growing and futuristic requirement of our Armed Forces, the source added. Not only has there been a push towards innovation with tie ups with Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) and other academic institutions, provisions have also been made in the budgetary allocation towards research and development.

Beginning with the financial year 2022-23 the Defence R&D has been opened up for industry, startups and academia with 25 per cent of defence R&D budget earmarked. Private industry will be encouraged to take up design and development of military platforms and equipment in collaboration with DRDO and other organisations through SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) model. An independent nodal umbrella body will be set up for meeting wide ranging testing and certification requirements.

The new Make in India in defence as part of Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) Bharat policy is particularly strong on design. In fact, because of the indigenous technology development efforts, more than 2500 number of patent applications have been filed during the last four years in comparison to 1700 number of cumulative applications filed from inception till then.

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Russia also said despite the ongoing war with Ukraine that has prompted international sanctions, it has stood by its contractual obligations and delivery of all systems, including the S-400 air defence system, as per schedule.

The delivery of the second regiment of the S-400 system is already underway.

Russia’s Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) head Dmitry Shugaev said: “Work is underway to organise the production of the AK-203 assault rifles in India, the serial production of which is expected to begin in late 2022-early 2023. The implementation of contracts for the construction of Project 11356 frigates in Russia and India is also proceeding as planned. The current geopolitical situation has not significantly affected the fulfillment of our obligations.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the Army 2022, an international defence show that is being held by Russia in Moscow.

The head of FSMTC, which deals with all military related deals and commercial cooperation with other countries, said the Russian Federation traditionally offers India the cutting edge models of weapons and military equipment.

“Russia is the only country that engages in large-scale cooperation with India in the field of sophisticated military technologies including transfer of knowhow to Indian partners.

“During more than 60 years of military-technical cooperation, our countries have, in fact, implemented the principle of Make in India,’ he said.

Shugaev said in all those years — with the help of the USSR, and subsequently Russia — hundreds of enterprises and facilities for military production were created in India, “which currently form the basis of the Indian defense sector”.

“With our assistance, dozens of types of high-tech military products have been localised in India. The current stage of our relations in this area of cooperation is distinguished by India’s desire to accelerate the development of its national military-industrial complex, reduce the dependence on imports of military products and join the ranks of the world’s leading arms exporters.

“We support this desire and are ready for industrial cooperation, looking for joint projects that, on the one hand, would be beneficial for Russian and Indian enterprises, and, on the other, would ensure our relations reach a new level of technological partnership,” he said.

Shugaev added the Russian side was ready for cooperation and had already submitted proposals on the joint development and production of modern types of military equipment.

Asked what these were, he said, “A future main battle tank, infantry fighting vehicle, fifth-generation aircraft, diesel-electric submarines and other types of modern weapons.”

Taking a jab at western countries, he underlined, “Once again I want to emphasise that Russia is ready for the widest technological cooperation, unlike the Western so-called ‘partners’, who promise a lot, but in fact are not very eager to share advanced technologies with India.”

He said the military-technical cooperation between Russia and India has no analogues in the world.

Shiugaev noted that many countries today were planning to set up their own military production through the transfer of technology and the acquisition of competencies.

One of the leaders in this sphere is, of course, India, which implements the Make in India program, he said.

“We do understand these trends and are ready to flexibly respond to them. We have a number of similar projects with India — the BrahMos missile, the localisation of tank rounds, and Kalashnikov assault rifles, and the construction of ‘11356 frigates’ at an Indian shipyard,” he said.

He said both India and Russia have the potential to build mutually-beneficial cooperation in the supply of weapons and military equipment.

All types of Russian-made military equipment are widely represented in the Indian armed forces — land, sea, aviation and air defense.

“All Russian-made military products supplied for export have an envisaged potential for upgrade, and the equipment delivered to India is no exception.

“In addition to upgrading, there are other areas of cooperation between our countries, such as creating conditions for servicing the delivered weapons and equipment in India, as well as jointly producing various types of equipment and weapons for sale in third countries,” Shiugaev said.

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The American predator drone deal was put on hold and a committee headed by a Lieutenant General was asked to review the entire deal which was coming out to be very expensive at around USD 4.5 billion for 30 drones.

“With the deal not moving ahead and almost all import cases being put on hold, we are now considering an armed UAV developed by an Indian private defence firm along with an Israeli defence manufacturer,” top government sources told ANI.

The Indian firm’s contribution to the project is as per the Make in India norms prescribed by the government for the products to qualify for being considered by the defence forces, they said.

As per the initial plans, India was planning to acquire 30 American Predator high-altitude long-endurance drones equipped with strike capability, including missiles, which were to be equally distributed among the three services.

Sources said the three services have requirements for these armed drones which can be used for surveillance as well as attacking enemy targets from standoff distances.

Almost all the defence deals planned through the import route had either been scrapped or put on hold by the Defence Ministry on the directions of the Prime Minister’s Office in favour of indigenous weapon systems.

India is operating two predator drones which were hired on lease from an American firm and they have been helping the Navy to keep track of activities in the Indian Ocean Region.

India has acquired 12 American P-8I anti-submarine warfare and surveillance planes for keeping an eye on the IOR and was working on getting six more of these planes. However, after the government’s instructions on import programmes, the government would soon decide on the project too shortly.

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The new rules stipulate that a license for the patent will be given initially for a period of five years based upon the manufacturing capacity. The number of licenses issued to a single firm shall not be more than five and can be renewed after five years depending upon compliance of the license agreement and other defined factors.

DRDO has also expanded the eligibility scope for licensees by including a clause stating that the applicant shall be a manufacturing entity or a system integrator and not a trading company. None of the promoters and directors of the applicant entity should have been wilful defaulters.

Applicants would be required to provide all necessary documentation including details of projects and supply orders successfully executed in the last two years, details of shareholders, promoters, associated firms and joint venture companies if any, as well as details of any vigilance actions, on-going investigation or suspension or blacklisting of the entity or any of its associates.

To boost indigenous production and give a fillip to the ‘Make in India’ policy, DRDO had, in November 2019, decided to grant free access to patents held by it to an Indian company, startup or MSME incorporated as per law. A DRDO screening committee would review the requests for licenses by taking into account the applicant’s financial and technical capabilities as well as national security and strategic implications.

Under the policy, no licence fee or royalty will be applicable on the use of Indian patents held by the research agency and only a processing fee of Rs 1,000 would be levied. Earlier, licence fee for patents and royalty could range anywhere from several lakh rupees to over a crore depending upon the type of technology involved, the cost of the project, baseline price and post-production quantum of sales to non-defence sector.

There are about 450 patents covering missile technology, aeronautics, naval systems, life sciences, armaments, combat engineering, electronics and communication material, which can be used by the Indian industry for commercial production.

Prior to this, the DRDO policy had called for managing intellectual property rights in an effective, efficient and ethical manner to derive full economic potential and consider opportunities for commercial exploitation of IP and wealth creation.

The license for the patent shall be given on non-exclusive basis with DRDO retaining complete title and ownership rights including unfettered rights to license the patents to additional parties. 

While the license recipients will be able to manufacture and sell products covered under the patent, they will also be required to submit details about the commercial working of the licensed patent on an annual basis to DRDO, which would be forwarded to the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, as mandated by Indian patent laws and rules.

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As the Russia-Ukraine conflict renewed focus on India’s dependence on the former Soviet Union nation for weapons and ammunition, the government has moved to further promote its “Make in India” programme in the defence sector by lessening imports from foreign companies. It amended the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 to make it mandatory to meet all modernisation requirements of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force as well as the Indian Coast Guard with indigenously manufactured equipment “irrespective of the nature of procurement”.

“Import of defence equipment and sourcing from foreign industry of capital acquisitions should only be an exception and undertaken with specific approval of Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) or the Defence Minister,” according to a press release issued by the government in New Delhi. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, himself, heads the DAC.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) had earmarked 64 per cent of its Capital Acquisition Budget for domestic industry in the financial year (FY) 2021-22. It, however, surpassed the target and utilised 65.50 per cent of Capital Acquisition Budget for procurement of defence equipment indigenously manufactured in India.

The DAC also approved other amendments in the DAP 2020, including the one to dispense with the requirement of the Integrity Pact Bank Guarantee (IPBG) for domestic defence companies participating in a government procurement process. According to the amended procedure, the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) would be taken as a bid security for all acquisition cases with Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) cost more than Rs 100 crore. The EMD will be valid for the selected vendor up to signing of contracts and returned to remaining vendors post declaration of selection.

“Post contract, Integrity Pact will be covered through the Performance Cum Warranty Bank Guarantee (PWBG). Further, as per extant Government of India policy, EMD is not required from Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs),” stated the MoD, after acting on an advice from the Ministry of Finance to reduce the financial burden on the country’s defence industry.

The DAC also approved amendments in the DAP 2020 to encourage wider participation and broad base indigenous defence manufacturing sector in the country. The total order quantities in acquisition cases would be split between short-listed vendors, wherever viable. Further, the other technically qualified bidders, who would not be awarded the contract, would be issued a certificate by the defence services, indicating that the product had already been successfully trial evaluated, to facilitate vendors to explore other markets.

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In an address at the annual convention of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, on 18 December, that India has very clearly conveyed to the US, Russia, France and many of its partner countries that military platforms and equipment required by the Indian armed forces to deal with myriad security challenges have to be manufactured in the country.

“We have told every friendly country that we want to produce the military platforms, weapons and ammunition in India itself keeping in mind the security of the country,” he said.

“We have conveyed this message to the US, Russia, France and others as well and we do not hesitate to communicate this message,” he added.

The defence minister said the message to the countries producing military equipment has been that: “Come Make In India, Come Make for India and Come Make for the world”.

Singh said, following his talks with French Defence Minister Florence Parly on 17 December, it was agreed that a major French company will produce “an engine” in India by joining hands with an Indian company under the strategic partnership model. He, however, did not elaborate.

The defence minister also referred to the government’s decision to not import 209 military equipment under a staggered timeline to promote the domestic defence industry and indicated that the items under the list may touch 1,000.

“When I talk about ‘India Beyond 75’, I believe that this ‘positive list’ will be around 1000 items in this decade. I am very positive about this,” he said.

The defence minister also talked about the need for “fair competition” between private and public sector companies and described the corporatisation of the over 200-year-old Ordnance Factory Board as the biggest reform in the defence sector after Independence.

“At present, India’s defence and aerospace manufacturing market is worth Rs 85,000 crores. I believe it will increase to one lakh crore in 2022,” he said.

In August last year, Singh announced that India will stop the import of 101 weapons and military platforms like transport aircraft, light combat helicopters, conventional submarines, cruise missiles and sonar systems by 2024.

A second list, putting import restrictions on 108 military weapons and systems such as next-generation corvettes, airborne early warning systems, tank engines and radars, was issued a few months later.

In May last year, the government announced increasing the FDI limit from 49 per cent to 74 per cent under the automatic route in the defence sector.

Ordnance Factory Medak Developing New Combat Vehicles

The Ordnance Factory Medak (OFMK) is developing two modern command and control modern vehicles for both the artillery and the infantry wings of the Indian Army with the CCPTV or Command Control Post Tracked Vehicle for the former already undergoing trials and is likely to be inducted within a few months, said General Manager Alok Prasad on 13 December.

The Command Combat Vehicle for the infantry is in the developing stage as also a special Armed Vehicle Track – Night Recovery for the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) wing.

The upgradation of the BMP armoured vehicle too is underway, he said, while announcing the launch of the exhibition of the factory products.

OFMK is geared for making the ‘Namica’ – launch vehicle for Nag, futuristic combat vehicles and vehicles with night vision capabilities, armed engineering reconnaissance vehicles and the likes.

The launch vehicle for the Pinaki missile is also manufactured by them.

MBDA Fined for Delay in Offset Obligations

Five years after India signed an agreement with France to procure 36 Rafale jets at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) made European missile maker MBDA pay a fine of nearly 1 million euros (around Rs 8.5 crore) for delay in fulfilling its offset obligations.

French aerospace major Dassault Aviation manufactures the jets, while MBDA supplies their missile systems. Both companies have been under scrutiny ever since the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled its report on the Management of Defence Offsets in Parliament last year. The national auditor had called out the two firms for not honouring the offset clause of offering high technology to India under the Rafale deal. As per the agreement, 50 per cent of the total contract value has to be reinvested in India as offsets between September 2019 and September 2022. This compensatory clause is aimed at giving a boost to ‘Make in India’ in the defence sector, primarily through transfer of technology.

The MoD’s stern action is expected to send out a clear message to foreign firms — fulfill your offset obligations or pay a hefty fine. However, the country needs to firm up its offset policy to make foreign defence entities do the needful in terms of investments and setting up of research and development facilities. It’s a matter of concern that defence ranks a lowly 62nd among 63 sectors receiving FDI, as pointed out by CAG.

BEL to Export 3D Naval Radar

International clients are on the roster of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the export of L-Band 3D Air Surveillance Radar RAWL-03 manufactured by it. RAWL-03 antenna is compact and can be accommodated on wheeled vehicles and ships.

“This is a cost effective Long Range Air Surveillance Radar perfect for early detection and tracking of air and surface targets, thereby enabling engagement of fire control systems to neutralise the targets. We want to market this to foriegn countries as well and the talks are on. The RAWL-03 comes in both ship and land-based configurations. We have showcased this to the Indian Navy and the process of induction is on. In 2018 we co-developed the radar with Swedish aerospace and defence company Saab,” a senior official from the BEL said.

Though it is not revealed which countries have exhibited interest in the radar, the official stated that the international clients include France, Germany, the UK, Canada, Sweden and developing markets in Africa and South America.

The radar has an instrumentation range of 400 kilometers. “We can detect all sorts of air targets including missiles, helicopters and aircraft upto 400 kilometers. The radar provides three dimensional target data along with doppler data. The advantage of the 3D radar over 2D radar is its estimation of height of the target in addition to direction and range. We started working on this radar in 2015 and it took almost two years to realise its completion. It weighs around 4 tons and incorporates the latest Signal Processing techniques,” he added.

HAL Signs Rs 2,400-crore Contract With BEL for LCA

HAL signed a contract, on 16 December, with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for development and supply of 20 types systems for the LCA Tejas Mk1A programme. 

The five-year contract, spanning from 2023 to 2028, is valued at Rs 2,400 crore and involves supplying critical avionics Line Replaceable Units (LRUs), flight control computers and night flying LRUs. This is the biggest ever order that HAL has placed on any Indian company boosting ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign.

The order for supply of these systems for 83 Tejas Mk1A fighter fleet will be executed by two divisions of Bharat Electronics Limited at Bengaluru and Panchkula (Haryana). All the contracted items will be delivered by BEL to HAL in a ready-to-board condition.

Deliveries under 83 Tejas Mk1A order to Indian Air Force (IAF) will commence from 2023-24 onwards. The homegrown fighter is slated to be equipped with indigenous flight control computers, air data computers which would also be supplied by BEL under this contract.

These systems have been designed and developed by various labs of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Bengaluru.

HAL’s Launches MiG-29K Upgrade Programme

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facility Aircraft Upgrade Research & Design Centre (AURDC) has launched a new upgrade programme for MiG-29K of Indian Navy to enhance its lethality through the integration of Laser Pod and new laser guided bomb. MiG-29K is directly procured by the Indian Navy from RAC-MiG, Russia.

The upgrade programme involves integration of indigenous mission computers, laser pods, indigenous air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. The facility has also initiated integration of indigenous weapons like ASTRA and general purpose bombs on MiG-29K of the Indian Navy.

“The upgrade programme envisages integration of indigenous mission computers, laser pods, indigenous air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. Successful integration will add additional lethality to the aircraft in terms of increased range, improved day/night situational awareness, night attack capability, accuracy of target hits etc,” R Madhvan, chairman and managing director, HAL said.

The aircraft cannot be operated with non-Russian origin weapons without extensive modifications. Integration of indigenous weapons or western origin weapons on MiG-29K is extremely challenging due the absence of aircraft design data/ documentation/ architecture, etc.

“In the past, AURDC has successfully carried out upgrades and weapon integration programmes to enhance the combat capability of Su-30MKI aircraft and several other imported platforms. Working very closely with other R&D centres of HAL and Defence Research and Development Organisation, the division is mitigating the obsolescence issues and future aircraft upgrade requirements,” Madhavan said.

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The 10-minute drone show commemorated 75 years of Independence, that is being celebrated this year as ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. It was conceptualised, designed, produced and choreographed under the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.

The drone show was organised by startup ‘Botlab Dynamics’ and supported by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi and the Department of Science and Technology, the defence ministry stated.

Around 1,000 drones fabricated through indigenous technology flew with synchronised background music played during the drone show.

With this, India has become the fourth country in the world to have indigenously developed such a technology.

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