MoD nod to India Inc to build light tank, defence equipment - Broadsword by Ajai Shukla


Projects under Make-I (such as the light tank, above) must be funded by the government; projects under Make-II will be funded by industry

By Vikas Gupta

Defence News of India, 4 Mar 22

In a major boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Governing India), the Ministry of Defense (MoD) has offered Indian industry four design and development (D&D) projects under the category Make- I of the defense acquisition procedure (DAP) – 2020.

The Ministry of Defense will provide financial support to industry for the development of prototypes of these projects. Projects that have received “Approval in Principle” (or AIP) by the MoD collegiate committee include an Indian light tank that has been mooted to defend the northern borders of the Himalayas and Karakoram against any offensive by the China.

Since the two-year standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh, the Indians have felt the need for a small light tank for these areas. The advantage went to the PLA, whose armored units in Tibet are equipped with the new ZTQ-15 (or Type 15) light tank.

As Indian armored units struggled to move their heavy, underpowered 42-ton Russian-sourced T-72 tanks through mountain passes reaching 17,500 feet, China’s 33-ton ZTQ-15 light tanks ( 36 tons with additional armour) were able to move through the 14,000 foot valleys with much greater ease.

Given these operational drawbacks, Indian tank warfare planners have long discussed the need for a smaller and lighter tank for high altitude warfare.

Second, the Indian Air Force (IAF) was awarded a project to develop communications equipment with Indian security protocols (routers, switches, encryptors, voice over internet protocol (VoIP phones) and their software.

Another project granted to the IAF calls for the development of an airborne electro-optical pod with a “ground system”. A final project for the IAF is to develop an “Airborne Remote Jammer”.

It is for the first time since the launch of the industry-friendly ‘Defence Acquisition Procedure’ (DAP-2020) that Indian industry is involved in the development of expensive platforms such as the tank. lightweight and communication equipment with Indian security protocols.

In addition, AIP has also been granted to the following five projects under the industry-funded Make-II procedure:

The IAF will procure and oversee full motion simulators for the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter as well as the full motion simulator for the CH-47F Chinook heavy lift helicopter. These will be positioned in the airbases from which the helicopter in question is flying and will provide training on the basis of the pilots of this helicopter.

The IAF also hopes to obtain through the Make II procedure a certain amount of “portable robotic equipment for aircraft maintenance”.

In addition, two pieces of equipment have been sanctioned for the Indian army: an “integrated surveillance and targeting system for mechanized forces” and an “autonomous combat vehicle”, which will be piloted remotely thanks to a remote control station. .

Make-II category projects involve the development of prototype equipment/systems/platforms or their upgrades or their subsystems/subassemblies/assemblies/components. These are mainly import/innovative alternatives, for which no government funding is provided for prototype development.

The local development of these projects in the country will help harness the design capabilities of the Indian defense industry and position India as a design leader in these technologies.

Chart: Overall improvement in the Indigenous Content (IC) requirement

Category

PLR 2016

DPA 2020

Buy (Indian-IDDM)

At least 40%

At least 50%

Buy (Indian)

At least 40%

Indigenous Design – Min 40%, otherwise – Min 60%

Buy and make (Indian)

Min 50% of mark

Min 50% of mark

buy and make

Buy and min 50% off the mark

Buy (Global – Mfr in India)

At least 50%

• Buy (global)

Min 30% for Indian sellers