Collaboration with foreign OEMs intrinsic to Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Army chief

Army chief General Manoj Pande said India’s traditional dependence on imported armaments and ammunitions was a matter of concern even as he added that the current reversal of the trend was quite encouraging

Army chief General Manoj Pande on Thursday said that India’s traditional dependence on imported armaments and ammunitions was a matter of concern even as he added that the current reversal of the trend was quite encouraging.

General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Army Staff, during 2nd Conference on Military Ammunition, AMMO INDIA 2022, at FICCI, in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI)

Pande said that the collaboration with foreign OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) was intrinsic to Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India).

“It has been unequivocally stated that collaboration with foreign OEMs is intrinsic to Aatmanirbhar Bharat and we have moved from a relationship of buyer-seller to co-development and co-production (of weapons and systems) with our foreign partners,” Pande said during Ammo India 2022, a conference jointly organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Centre for Joint Warfare Studies.

The army chief’s comments came a day after defence minister Rajnath Singh made a strong pitch for self-reliance in the ammunition sector at the same conference while asking the private industry to partner with the government to cater to the requirements of the armed forces.

Pande said the ongoing reforms in the defence sector were an opportunity for foreign OEMs to partner with Indian companies and work towards shared objectives.

Import substitution of ammunition is a top priority for the government, which has imposed a phased ban on the import of different types of ammunition to achieve self-reliance.

“With the government’s push for Make in India in recent years, the defence industry understands that the development of both platforms and ammunitions through Indian industry is the way forward,” said N Raveeswaran, co-chair, FICCI defence and aerospace committee.

India has taken several steps over the last two to three years to boost self-reliance in defence, including curbing imports and allocating funds for domestic procurement.

The government has imposed a phased ban on the import of 310 different types of weapons, systems and ammunition as well as earmarked ₹84,598 crore — 68% of the military’s capital acquisition budget — for purchasing locally produced weapons and systems in 2022-23.