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Post all defence related news in this thread :cheer: Lapsed tenders hurt Modi's 'Make in India' defence industry push

(Reuters) - Indian firms have spurned some $15 billion worth of government tenders to make a range of weapons since 2013, Defence Ministry officials say, in a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his drive to wean the country off imported arms. Executives cited unrealistic quality demands from a military short of planes, tanks and guns as a key reason for their reluctance to bid for projects. Complicating things further, the military doesn't want weapons from Indian firms with no track record in defence manufacturing, experts said. Irked by India's status as the world's biggest arms importer, Modi wants to build an advanced defence industry but almost a year into his "Make in India" campaign, which aims to turn the country into a manufacturing powerhouse, not one large domestic weapons project has been awarded. Tenders for anything from air defence guns to surface-to-air missiles to transport planes have lapsed, Defence Ministry officials told Reuters. The tenders total around $15 billion according to a Reuters compilation of offers since early 2013. "'Make in India' is a laudable aim, but it's moving rather slowly. It's not a switch you can press and everything will fall into place," said Vivek Rae, head of procurement at the Defence Ministry from 2010-2012. Anil Ambani, the billionaire chairman of the Reliance Group, recounted at a recent conference how Modi asked him if he knew India didn't make tear gas shells. "Even the tears we shed are foreign," Ambani quoted the nationalist leader, who took office last May, as saying. Modi wants to build a strong military after years of neglect that military planners say has left India vulnerable should rivals China and Pakistan ever launch a combined attack, although experts say this is highly unlikely. India is being challenged, however, in its Indian Ocean backyard, where China's more modernised navy is starting to assert itself. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said new defence production policies will be unveiled this month to address the concerns of private firms: opaque procedures, unrealistic quality requirements and slow decision-making. "We're trying to simplify procedures, create a level-playing field but still there are many cases of zero participation in tenders," said G. Mohan Kumar, the defence production secretary leading the localisation drive. The military declined to comment, referring queries to the Defence Ministry, which controls procurement. RINGFENCING PROJECTS India gets 70 percent of its arms from abroad. For decades, it has bought off-the-shelf equipment mainly from Russia, which offered to assemble some weaponry locally but little in the way of technology transfers. Modi has vowed to change that by ringfencing $100 billion worth of defence deals for domestic companies over the next decade under which they can build on their own or with foreign partners. Last year the government asked several Indian companies to show interest in an estimated $1.7 billion deal to replace 1960s-era Swedish air defence guns, but only one said it could meet the requirements, said one of the Defence Ministry officials. He declined to identify the company. The head of one firm which told the government it was not interested in the project said the military laid down "impossible" requirements by insisting on technology that only foreign manufacturers had. He declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of defence issues. In November, the government put an estimated $2 billion proposal to replace its ageing fleet of Avro cargo planes on ice after the tender attracted only one bidder, a partnership between Europe's Airbus Group (AIR.PA) and India's Tata Sons TATAS.UL. "Even if there is an alternative better solution, as per current practice the requirements cannot be changed, or if they are changed it is questioned," said M.V. Kotwal, head of defence business at infrastructure group Larsen and Toubro (LART.NS). "The flexibility is not there." Over the past 18 months, 41 requests for expressions of interest for naval projects alone fell through because of problems relating to manufacturing requirements, the Defence Ministry official added. JUMPSTART Trying to move projects along, Modi's government in February approved an $8 billion proposal to build warships in India that had been awaiting cabinet signoff since 2012. It has also ordered an accelerated local programme to build six diesel-electric submarines, in addition to six similar vessels that French firm DCNS is assembling in Mumbai port to replace India's ageing underwater fleet. A Defence Ministry committee submitted a report last month identifying five private and state-run shipyards where the submarines could be built with a foreign partner. It will now invite expressions of interest for the $8.5 billion project. Experts said one problem is that some military officers eye technology only available in the west, without understanding what Indian firms can produce. "The armed forces are reluctant to accept hardware that doesn't have a record in operational conditions. Indian companies have no track record," said Bharat Karnad at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. Retired vice admiral Premvir Das added that to expect Indian companies to manufacture major defence platforms in the forseeable future is to "live in a dreamland". (Editing by Dean Yates)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/04/07/india-defence-idINKBN0MY26O20150407
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India, Japan to deepen defence ties
NEW DELHI: India and Japan today decided to deepen their defence cooperation and enhance strategic maritime ties.
The meeting comes ahead of the annual India-China Defence Dialogue to be held in Beijing this week. A high-power Indian military delegation headed by the Defence Secretary will arrive in Beijing tomorrow to take part in the seventh Annual Defence Dialogue aimed at improving military ties besides exchanging views on number of regional and global security issues of mutual concern.
Parrikar had said that Japan is a privileged partner in the 'Make In India' initiative including the defence technology sector
Nice to see Japan showing keen interest in Make In India in defence. This will help us produce spares,etc in India itself rather than depend on others.
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[url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-japan-to-deepen-defence-ties/articleshow/46842336.cms]India' date=' Japan to deepen defence ties [/url'] Nice to see Japan showing keen interest in Make In India in defence. This will help us produce spares,etc in India itself rather than depend on others.
India is showing interest in SORYU submarine right?
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India's first Scorpene submarine INS Kalvari launched for sea trials 2754A90C00000578-3027893-image-a-13_1428366033882.jpg2754D96700000578-3027893-image-a-2_1428366003375.jpg

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar witnessed a major milestone in the much-needed augmentation of India’s naval capabilities with the ‘undocking’ of INS Kalvari, the Scorpene-class submarine, in Mumbai on Monday. Parrikar, accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R.K. Dhowan, said that by 2020 all the six Scorpene submarines being built at the Mazagon Dock in collaboration with French firm DCNS will be ready to serve the nation. “Time is crucial factor in completion of defence projects. I would urge the PSUs to double their production capacities in three years and complete the project on or before time,†he said. He added that the Ministry of Defence will penalise firms for their failure to deliver the projects even by a day and reward them with a bonus if they are handed over before time. The first of Scorpenes was supposed to be commissioned in 2012. Parrikar blamed the erstwhile United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for not being serious about defence projects, particularly on the submarine front. “UPA had no review mechanism. The UPA government should have been more serious about the project,†he said. He urged Fadnavis and Mazagon Dock to take initiatives developing young people's skills in specialised fields that will helpful in the nation’s defence sector in the long-run. He said that he has urged all officers and workers of Mazagon Dock not to limit themselves to making ships for India, but raise their performance across the globe. We are planning blue water navy, which will enable us to operate in deep waters without frequent visits to the harbour,†the minister said. Later, replying to queries on the series of naval mishaps witnessed in the past two years, Parrikar put the blame on not stringently following the Standard Operations Procedure. “In the past, there was relaxation mode while following SOPs. We have now increased accountability and improved the manner in which SOPs are followed. This is the reason mishaps have reduced,†he said. Speaking of the minor mishap involving INS Sindhughosh, whose periscope was damaged by a fishing vessel during a nocturnal exercise in February near Mumbai, Parrikar said that it was an accident that did not involve any human error on the part of naval officials. “The fishing vessel was not supposed to be there,†he said. The ‘undocking’ marks the movement of the submarine mounted on pontoons from the berth area in the dock to the harbour where it will undergo further tests. According to Mumbai Dockyard General Manager (QA) S.S. Maret, once the tests are successful, the submarine will separate from the pontoon and be launched in the waters in September this year. “If everything works out as per expectations, then it will be ready for commissioning by next year,†he said.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-3027893/India-s-Scorpene-submarine-INS-Kalvari-launched-sea-trials.html Meanwhile Pakistan have also signed a deal for 8 subs from China :sherlock:
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Experts said one problem is that some military officers eye technology only available in the west, without understanding what Indian firms can produce. "The armed forces are reluctant to accept hardware that doesn't have a record in operational conditions. Indian companies have no track record," said Bharat Karnad at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi.
this is an important point,we need more engineering streams related to defence/weaponary in india.india needs to produce more tech graduates in defnce sector to sustain on its own in the near future and not be over-reliant on other countries
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this is an important point' date='we need more engineering streams related to defence/weaponary in india.india needs to produce more tech graduates in defnce sector to sustain on its own in the near future and not be over-reliant on other countries[/quote'] The brightest of the bright will not find this attractive unless they have the compensation to match the lure of private sector, mainly IT. Probably meritocracy and excellent research facilities will be important secondary factors.
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The brightest of the bright will not find this attractive unless they have the compensation to match the lure of private sector' date=' mainly IT. Probably meritocracy and excellent research facilities will be important secondary factors.[/quote'] Government can work on providing good incentives to the employees enrolled in this program. Main problem is the set up of labs and updated technology to provide a good understanding of the course
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With Modi arriving on visit, India, France set for push to Rafale deal

India is considering direct purchase of two squadrons of the French Rafale fighter plane to avoid the mire of price negotiations that the deal for 126 of these aircraft has been stuck in since January 2012. The Dassault-manufactured Rafale fighter was on January 31, 2012 announced as the preferred bidder in the $13-billion contract for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA). India is now seriously considering strategic purchase of up to 40 Rafales for the Indian Air Force (IAF) through the government-to-government (G2G) route on account of operational necessity. The tentative price tag of this deal would be over $4 billion.
http://m.hindustantimes.com/india-news/with-modi-arriving-on-visit-india-france-set-for-push-to-rafale-deal/article1-1335654.aspx For defense deals etc Shishir Gupta (writer of this article) provides good, accurate updates. Do follow him .
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