New Delhi: Over the past few years, there has been an institutional pivot in India towards prioritizing indigenous military manufacturing and procurement. INS, the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, will be commissioned on two large scale in 2022. Vikrant, And the first indigenous attack helicopter, LCH Prachanda, has symbolized this philosophical change.
In April this year, the Army announced that the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and private firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T) will build the prototype for another indigenous system- zoravar light tank,
However, an analysis by ThePrint has highlighted that these indigenous weapon systems include imported components that are integrated and not exclusively made in India – a logical and valid reality. Even major defense producers such as the United States and France import weapon systems.
This points to a bigger question – how indigenous is ‘swadeshi’ in India’s defense production?
“While the government has done well to promote domestic military manufacturing, there is also acceptance within the establishment that not everything can be manufactured domestically. Something has to be imported,” Aneet Mukherjee, associate professor Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore told ThePrint.
“As a result, even if you look at the positive military indigenization list released by the government, they do make provision for some imports. At times, economies of scale do not permit domestic manufacturing of weapon systems; In such times you have to import.
Pointing to the above sentiment, a Delhi-based defense analyst said, “It is difficult to develop an advanced weapon system with only technology and components from one country. Importing the best technologies helps in making the system more efficient.” “
“In a globalized economy with deep supply-chain linkages, some components will inevitably be imported. This could either be due to better efficiency in procuring it from overseas or non-availability in the manufacturing country,” the analyst said. who did not want to be namedtold ThePrint.
Zorawar Light Tank Project
In August last year, in view of the uncertain situation with China in East Ladakh, the Indian Army launched Project Zorawar To develop an indigenous light tank that can be used for rapid deployment and rapid movement in high altitude areas including Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
As a result, India’s DRDO and private firm L&T joined hands to develop the tank. zoravar Project. Then in April 2023, DRDO and L&T were ordered to make a prototype of the tank for the army.
“The project for the Indian Light Tank will provide a unique opportunity to the indigenous defense industry to come together and truly realize the ‘Design and Develop in India’ initiative., said in a brief from the Integrated Headquarters of the Army.
Although widely described as “indigenous”, the Zoravar tank will be powered by an engine developed by a German manufacturer, MTU Aero Engines, a subsidiary of defense conglomerate Rolls-Royce. In addition, it will have a hull-mounted 105 mm gun turret, built by the Belgian engineering company John Cockerill.
Essentially, the Zoravar’s two central underpinnings – the engine that would maneuver the tank through mountainous terrain, and its gun – would both be imported.
Despite these direct inclusions from abroad, the tank would be called “indigenous”.
To call something indigenous or not is largely a political decision. Walter Ladwig, a military scholar and lecturer at King’s College London, told ThePrint that there is no empirically correct answer to what indigenization is.
“The percentage threshold you apply, whether you measure ‘indigenous’ in terms of the number of components, their financial value, or some other metric, determines the classification. These are all choices made by the analyst to determine whether a position or want to argue for the other,” he explained.
Beyond labeling a weapon system as “indigenous”, economics is central to its manufacture. Mukherjee explained this in terms of the indigenous creation of Zoravar.
“With Zoravar, economies of scale will only be efficient if the government places a sufficient number of orders to offset the costs of setting up a factory line and production in India. Otherwise, finance will not allow building the tank from scratch in India,” he said.
Moreover, it is not only about domestic manufacturing but also exports. Exporting defense companies are successful. The same should be considered with Zoravar, though only from an economic point of view. Mukherjee explained that the strategic aspect could prevent this.
However, Zoravar’s adoption of foreign technology for critical components is not a new concept in India’s defense manufacturing.
Status of INS Vikrant, LCH and ALH
Aircraft, helicopters and aircraft carriers made in India all have integrated foreign technology.
Engine of the country’s first indigenously built light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas Made by the American conglomerate General Electrics (GE). The fighter, which took nearly three decades to be commissioned, relies on a foreign engine.
Two important indigenous military developments from 2022 are further emblematic of this import dependence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year commission India’s first home-built aircraft carrier – INS Vikrant,
Vikrant Made with 76 per cent indigenous components. While significant, this implies that 24 percent will still be imported. According to reports, this 24 percent included imports for the aircraft carrier’s critical aviation facility complex — the area responsible for the maintenance and operation of the warship’s fighters.
Imports for the aviation complex, the report explained, include arresting gear, short-take-off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) systems for launch and recovery of fighter jets, and aircraft handling equipment belonging to Russia . In addition, the ship’s two aircraft lifts were also imported from the United Kingdom, with the hangar doors being brought from Sweden.
Later In September 2022, first indigenous The Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Prachanda was commissioned into the Air Force. Its indigenous content is projected to increase from 45 percent to 55 percent over time. The attack component of the helicopter, however, will be its air-to-air missiles. mistral 2 launcher Manufactured by European missile manufacturer MBDA.
Even the indigenously built Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Dhruv has significant import dependencies though it is believed to have 55 per cent domestic content.
As Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd) wrote in Indian Defense Review magazine earlier this year, “some essential systems (of the ALH) are still imported from the UK, Israel and France.”
“Its aluminum alloys, composite materials, avionics and weapons are also imported. The aero-engine, which accounts for about 30 per cent of the aircraft cost, is still turbomeca-led and dependent on imports,” said Chopra.
While INS VikrantLCH, and ALH reflect India’s growing indigenous military production capacity – and they comprise or will comprise more than 50 percent of all domestically manufactured military material – with data indicating that a significant amount of imported components are integrated into final systems. it was done.
However, India is not the only country to depend on imports for its weapon systems. Major defense-producing countries such as the US and France with large military-industrial complexes are dependent on foreign supplies.
According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), between 2018 and 2022, the US imported 365 engines, 271 missiles and 50 naval weapons. In the same period, France imported 367 aircraft, 108 engines and 14 missiles.
explaining the fact lieutenant “In a globalized world, no army can be 100 per cent self-sufficient,” General Satish Dua (retd), former chief of the Integrated Defense Staff, told ThePrint.
“However, India must primarily be indigenous and have a strong military-industrial base,” he stressed.
(Editing by Richa Mishra)
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