2024-07-22 08:37:09
The Indian Ministry of Defense has approved the fifth list of components and weapons systems that cannot be imported and must be produced by national state and private enterprises, Day.Az reports with reference to TASS.
The list, posted on the portal of the defense department, includes 346 types of weapons and military equipment, their components and spare parts, the purchase of which abroad will be gradually stopped until December 2028.
In 2020-2023, the Indian Ministry of Defense approved the first four lists of weapons that New Delhi will stop buying abroad within five years. In total, they amount to 4,666 items, including helicopters for the Navy, patrol ships, anti-ship missiles, missiles for air defense systems, light tanks, some types of drones, ammunition, including loitering ones, and other weapons. Of these, 2,972 weapons are already in development, testing, or production in India, which rules out their import. Several weapon systems are being developed and manufactured in the country with the participation of foreign companies.
As Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated earlier, import substitution in the sphere of arms production gives impetus to the country’s Aatmanirbharta (“Self-Reliant India”) policy and the Make in India (“Make in India”) state programme to achieve strategic independence in foreign policy, and also contributes to India’s independence, strengthening national security and economic development in the current global situation.
The Indian Ministry of Defence has set a target of achieving $25 billion in defence production in the country by 2027 and $5 billion in Indian arms exports.