Indian Army primed for indigenous modernisation, says Vice Chief of Army Staff

Lieutenant General BS Raju said 25% of defence R&D budget is meant to go for local industry

As AI-powered applications shape the future of warfare, the Indian Army is set to usher in a phase of expansive, indigenous modernisation spread over 10 to 15 years, Vice Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General B S Raju said on Monday.

Speaking at an event that marked the opening of the Regional Technology Node Bengaluru (RTN-B) at the Army Service Corps Centre and College here, Lt Gen Raju said the modernisation drive, involving large-scale upgrades on existing platforms and purchase of new state-of-the-art systems, would have the private industry as a key stakeholder.

“The Indian Army has identified the technologies that are required to be inducted for the development of future capabilities. Accelerating this process is an immediate priority for the Army. For this, we need the active participation of the private sector,” he said.

The government’s move to apportion 25 per cent of the Defence R&D budget to the private sector signalled a shift from the exclusive dependence on the Defence Research and Development Organisation and defence PSUs for research. “We are at that inflection point where the need for private industry to take off (in the defence manufacturing sector) is very evident,” Lt Gen Raju said.

Shift to local capabilities

The push for self-reliance in the country, across sectors, has changed the way the armed forces are looking at the future. The Indian Army has identified a list of over 400 products that it has committed to the government would not be imported. “This gives a clear signal to the local industry – that these are the products that they can start to invest in and manufacture,” Lt Gen Raju said.

The government recently cleared the fourth round of Emergency Procurement, under which the Army is set to buy more than 80 indigenous products, each at an estimated value of Rs 200 to Rs 300 crore. The orders will be placed within the next three to four months and the industry partners are expected to deliver the products within a year.

Ensuring tech preparedness

Established under the Army Design Bureau, the RTN-B will interface with trade, industry, and academia with a focus on IT in making use of innovations in technology for the Army.

This is the second such facility established by the Army, after RTN Pune. Lt Gen B S Raju said there was great potential for the facility in Bengaluru which is home to many engineering colleges, defence PSUs and private manufacturing units.

The opening of RTN-B is in line with the Army’s efforts to establish regional structures for technology assimilation and its engagement with emerging technologies including IoT and cloud computing.