Wars have become very complex and are not limited to borders but even energy, trade, tariff, supply chains, technology and information are now part of its new dimensions, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in Nagpur on Sunday.
Addressing a gathering at the inaugural ceremony of a medium calibre ammunition facility at Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited in Nagpur, he said there was a time when defence production was limited to the public sector and nobody ever though of private sector participation.
On the occasion, Singh flagged off the first tranche of guided Pinaka rockets manufactured by Solar group to Armenia.
The private sector had the capacity and potential but its participation was not at the scale it should have been, he said.
There were challenges and doubts regarding private sector defence production while the country took steps towards 'atmanirbharta', but the present government opened up the sector by introducing changes in policies and simplifying the processes as it had full faith in their potential, Singh said.
"It is also resulting in good quality, better timelines as well as improvement in productivity and delivery. Our defence ecosystem has improved a lot. The way scientific temperament and technology driven approach has developed in the private defence sector is very laudable," he said.
The private sector is now ahead of the public sector with regards to research and development, the Union minister pointed out.
India is moving fast towards becoming a major arms exporter, Singh asserted.
Shortage in ammunition supply was felt but the government has brought in self-reliance in the sector, he said while lauding Solar group for its various defence production capacities like Pinaka missiles as well as Nagastra drone used in Operation Sindoor.
The government's ambition is that India should become the global hub of ammunition production, Singh added.
"Wars are becoming very complex and its intensity is also increasing continuously. In such a scenario, the preparation for war should be on war footing. The nature of war is changing very fast. New methods are coming forth which were never there in traditional war," he said.
"Wars are now not limited to borders but its effect are felt directly by the common public. Energy, trade, tariff, supply chains, technology and information have become the new dimensions of conflict," he added.
In the face of these changes, the country's alertness on the borders, weapons, hardware and defence industrial manufacturing have increased, he emphasised.
"Whatever be the form of war, the need of the hour is a strong defence industrial base, research and development and production by private sector. The government wants contribution of private sector in defence manufacturing sector to be at least 50 percent of production," he said.
Domestic defence production had risen from Rs 46000 crore in 2014 to more than Rs 1.50 lakh crore now, of which the private sector's contribution is Rs 30000, Singh informed.
Defence exports were just Rs 1000 crore 10 years ago, but has now increased to Rs 25000 crore, with the government's target being Rs 50000 crore by 2029-30, the Union minister said.
He also praised Solar group's ongoing development of Bhargavastra anti-drone system, a micro-missile-based hard-kill solution that has already undergone successful test launches.
In a statement, the company said medium-calibre ammunition (23 mm to 40 mm class) forms the backbone of infantry combat, armoured vehicles, naval gun systems, and aircraft-mounted cannons, and currently a significant proportion of these critical munitions is imported.
This exposes India to risks from export controls, geopolitical uncertainties, and logistics disruptions, it added.
"To address this vulnerability, the Solar group has set up a fully automated, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for 100 percent indigenous 23 mm, 30 mm, and 40 mm ammunition and also a fully instrumented in-house firing test range for dynamic evaluation of 30 mm ammunition and 40 mm grenades," the release said.
A dedicated range for 23 mm ammunition is slated to become operational within the next three months, the company statement added.
Solar group has launched a major programme for Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) and High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) class UAVs for surveillance and combat roles, it said.
During his visit to Nagpur, Singh visited Union minister Nitin Gadkari at his residence in Nagpur.
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