Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 7 April released the third positive indigenisation list of 101 items, comprising major military equipment and platforms set to be indigenised by in next five years.
The list, notified by Department of Military Affairs, Ministry of Defence (MoD), lays special focus on equipment and systems, which are being developed and likely to translate into firm orders in next five years.
These weapons and platforms are planned to be indigenised progressively with effect from December 2022 to December 2027. These 101 items will, henceforth, be procured from local sources as per provisions of Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, the Defence Ministry said in a release.
The third list comprises highly complex Systems, Sensors, Weapons and Ammunitions like Light Weight Tanks, Mounted Arty Gun Systems (155mmX 52Cal), Guided Extended Range (GER) Rocket for PINAKA MLRS, Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH), Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPV), MF STAR (Radar For Ships), Medium Range Anti-Ship Missile (Naval Variant), Advance Light Weight Torpedo (Ship Launch), High Endurance Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Medium Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (MALE UAV), Anti-Radiation Missiles, Loitering Munitions.
Earlier, the Defence Ministry had released first list, comprising 101 items, and second list, comprising 108 items, that were promulgated on 21 August 2020 and 31 May 2021 respectively.
Import substitution of ammunition which is a recurring requirement has been given special emphasis.
According to the ministry, the spirit behind issuing these three lists comprising 310 defence equipment, slated to be manufactured locally, reflects the growing confidence of the government in the capabilities of domestic industry that they can supply equipment of international standards to meet the demand of the Armed Forces.
It is likely to stimulate the potential of indigenous Research & Development (R&D) by attracting fresh investment into technology and manufacturing capabilities, and will provide ample opportunities to the domestic industry for understanding the trends and future needs of the Armed Forces, the ministry said.
