Defence Industry Urged to Focus on Ammunition Ingredients

Quick Summary

• Issue Identified: indian companies lack focus on manufacturing primary ingredients required for ammunition production, creating a need for domestic and export-oriented capacities, according to Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary Defense Production.
• Meetings in May: During interactions with private and public sector companies in May, following Operation Sindoor discussions, it was noted that primary ingredient production was neglected due to long gestation periods and high capital investment requirements.
• Current Challenges: Reliance on defence public sector units like Munitions India Limited is insufficient due to inadequate capabilities at present.
• Call to Action: Industry urged to enhance the entire value chain of ammunition production-from propellants, primers, to explosives-to meet national and global demands amid pressing geopolitical scenarios.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The remarks from the Defence Production Secretary underscore an critically important gap in India’s self-reliance initiative within its defence manufacturing framework. While significant advancements have been made across other domains of defence production under various industry partnerships, ammunition manufacturing-specifically the creation of foundational components-remains an achilles heel. Addressing this limitation will require substantial investments both from private enterprises and government entities. Prioritizing such inputs could strengthen India’s strategic autonomy amid escalating global tensions. Additionally, as export becomes central to defence diplomacy ambitions, closing this capability gap may unlock economic opportunities globally while enhancing resilience domestically.

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