Indian Defence exports record new highs

Indian Defence exports record new highs

News: India’s defence exports for 2021-22 were estimated at Rs 13,000 crore, the highest ever. The U.S. was a major buyer, as also nations in Southeast Asia, West Asia and Africa.

Key Observations:
• The private sector accounted for 70% of the exports, while public sector firms accounted for the rest.
• Earlier, the private sector used to account for 90% but now the share of defence public sector units had gone up.
• While India’s defence imports from the U.S. have gone up significantly in recent years, Indian companies have been increasingly becoming part of the supply chains of U.S. defence companies.
• In January 2022, India signed a USD 374.96-million deal with the Philippines, its single biggest defence export order, for the supply of three batteries of shore-based anti-ship variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.
• India has imposed a phased import ban on 310 different weapons and systems during the last two years, which helped boost export. These weapons and platforms will be indigenized in phases over the next five to six years.
• The increased partnership with the private sector has led to a substantial rise in defence exports.

Status of India’s Defence Exports:
• Defence exports are a pillar of the government’s drive to attain self-sufficiency in defence production.
• Over 30 Indian defence companies have exported arms and equipment to countries like Italy, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Russia, France, Nepal, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Israel, Egypt, UAE, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Poland, Spain and Chile.
• The exports include personal protective items, defence electronics systems, engineering mechanical equipment, offshore patrol vessels, advanced light helicopters, avionics suits, radio systems and radar systems.

Other Initiatives related to Defence:
• Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020 - The DPEPP 2020 is envisaged as an overarching guiding document to provide a focused, structured and significant thrust to defence production capabilities of the country for self-reliance and exports.
• Positive Indigenization - For the first time the government is putting a ban on itself to import any item, the Government wants to empower the indigenous industry. There are two positive indigenization lists of 101 items and 108 items that range from platforms to weapon systems to sensors to the entire plethora of items.
• Strategic Partnership Model - It allows Indian companies to collaborate with foreign OEMs and get transfer of technology, get the capability to build, manufacture india and sustain those projects in india.

You may click on the following link of ‘Gravitas Live with Palki’ on Wion news channel which discusses about India’s potential in the arms export and how other nations look towards India’s defence capabilities for their security interests - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcpARzs-XoY&t=1630s