Centre to stop importing 351 sub-system, components of defence equipment

The government has decided to gradually stop import of 351 more sub-systems and components of defence equipment.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the move to stop import of certain components and sub-system of the military hardware was in sync with the government’s policy of supporting domestic defence industry and achieving self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

“A positive indigenisation list of sub-systems and components has been notified by the Department of Defence Production as part of the MoD’s (Ministry of Defence) efforts to achieve self-reliance in defence manufacturing and minimise imports by DPSUs (Defence Public Sector Undertakings),” Singh posted on Twitter.

The new positive indigenisation list notified by the Department of Defence Production this week contains 2851 sub-systems, sub-assemblies and components of military hardware. The list contains 2,500 items, which have already been indigenised and are not being imported. It also contains 351 items, which will be indigenised in the next three years and not be imported thereafter. They will be procured only from manufacturing companies based in India.

The initiative, which is consistent with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, will save foreign exchange approximately equivalent to Rs 3,000 crore every year, the Ministry of Defence stated on Wednesday.

The new list followed two other positive indigenisation lists issued earlier by the Department of Military Affairs in August 2020 and May 2021, comprising altogether 209 weapons, platforms, systems and ammunitions. The items identified in the two lists are not being imported beyond specified timelines and will be designed, developed and manufactured over a period from 2020 to 2025. The MoD estimated that equipment worth over Rs 3.5 lakh crore included in the positive indigenisation lists will be ordered from domestic manufacturers between 2020 to 2028.

The positive indigenisation lists comprised not just of simple equipment, but also of some high technology weapon systems, like Artillery Guns, Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles, Light Combat Aircraft, Light Combat Helicopters, next Generation Missile Vessels and Corvettes, Land based High Power Radars, Land based Short Range Surface to Air Missiles and various types of Software Defined Radios. The MoD also focussed on indigenisation of ammunition to meet the recurring requirement.

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