India puts import embargo on 101 defence items beyond given timelines to boost indigenisation

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visits Leh, Ladakh on July 03, 2020.
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New Delhi, 9th August 2020: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the Nation on May 12, 2020 had given a clarion call for a self-reliant India based on the five pillars, i.e., Economy, Infrastructure, System, Demography & Demand and announced a special economic package for Self-Reliant India named ‘Atamnirbhar Bharat’. Taking cue from that evocation, the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Ministry of Defence (MoD) has prepared a list of 101 items for which there would be an embargo on the import beyond the timeline indicated against them, as indicated below.

This is a big step towards self-reliance in defence. It also offers a great opportunity to the Indian defence industry to rise to the occasion to manufacture the items in the negative list by using their own design and development capabilities or adopting the technologies designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to meet the requirements of the Armed Forces in the coming years.

The list is prepared by MoD after several rounds of consultations with all stakeholders, including Army, Air Force, Navy, DRDO, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and private industry to assess current and future capabilities of the Indian industry for manufacturing various ammunition/weapons/platforms/equipment within India.

Almost 260 schemes of such items were contracted by the Tri-Services at an approximate cost of Rs 3.5 lakh crore between April 2015 and August 2020. With latest embargo on import of 101 items, it is estimated that contracts worth almost Rs four lakh crore will be placed upon the domestic industry within the next five to seven years. Of these, items worth almost Rs 1,30,000 crore each are anticipated for the Army and the Air Force while items worth almost Rs 1,40,000 crore are anticipated by the Navy over the same period.

The list of 101 embargoed items comprises of not just simple parts but also some high technology weapon systems like artillery guns, assault rifles, corvettes, sonar systems, transport aircrafts, light combat helicopters (LCHs), radars and many other items to fulfil the needs of our Defence Services. The list also includes, wheeled Armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) with indicative import embargo date of December 2021, of which the Army is expected to contract almost 200 at an approximate cost of over Rs 5,000 crore. Similarly, the Navy is likely to place demands for Submarines with indicative import embargo date of December 2021, of which it expects to contract about six at an approximate cost of almost Rs 42,000 crore. For the Air Force, it is decided to enlist the LCA MK 1A with an indicative embargo date of December 2020. Of these, 123 are anticipated at an approximate cost of over Rs 85,000 crore. Hence, there are highly complex platforms that are included in the list of 101 items, of which details of three examples are given above.

The embargo on imports is planned to be progressively implemented between 2020 to 2024. The aim behind promulgation of the list is to apprise the Indian defence industry about the anticipated requirements of the Armed Forces so that they are better prepared to realise the goal of indigenisation. The MoD has adopted many progressive measures to encourage and facilitate ‘Ease of Doing Business’ by the defence Production entities. All necessary steps would be taken to ensure that timelines for production of equipment as per the Negative Import List are met, which will include a co-ordinated mechanism for hand holding of the industry by the Defence Services.

More such equipment for import embargo would be identified progressively by the DMA in consultation with all stakeholders.

A due note of this will also be made in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) to ensure that no item in the negative list is processed for import in the future.

In another relevant step, the MoD has bifurcated the capital procurement budget for 2020-21 between domestic and foreign capital procurement routes. A separate budget head has been created with an outlay of nearly Rs 52,000 crore for domestic capital procurement in the current financial year.

IMPORT EMBARGO LIST OF DEFENCE WEAPONS/PLATFORMS

With Effect From Dec 2020

SNo Name of Platform/ Weapon/

System/ Equipment

Indicative Year- Import Embargo
1. 120mm Fin  Stabilised Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS) Mark II Ammunition Dec 2020
2. 7.62×51 Sniper Rifle Dec 2020
3. Tracked Self Propelled (SP) Gun (155mm x 52 Cal) Dec 2020
4. Towed Artillery Gun (155mm x 52 Cal) Dec 2020
5. Short Range Surface to Air Missiles (Land variant) Dec 2020
6. Shipborne Cruise Missiles Dec 2020
7. Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) (Pinaka Variant) Dec 2020
8. Simulators Presenting Smart Ranges And Multi-Function Targets Dec 2020
9. Battalion Support Weapons Simulators Dec 2020
10. Container-based Simulators for Live Fire Training Dec 2020
11. Tailor-made Simulators for Counter Insurgency (CI)/Counter Terrorism (CT) based Training Dec 2020
12. Force-on-force Live Tactical Simulators / Infantry Weapon Dec 2020
13. Tank Simulators (driving, as well as, crew gunnery) Dec 2020
14. 155mm/39 Cal Ultra-Light Howitzer Dec 2020
15. Successor of Flycatcher & Upgraded Super Fledermaus (USFM) / Air Defence Fire Control Radar (ADFCR) Dec 2020
16. Component Level Repair Facility for Tank T-90 Dec 2020
17. Shipborne Close in Weapon System Dec 2020
18. Bullet Proof Jackets Dec 2020
19. Ballistic Helmets Dec 2020
20. Missile Destroyers Dec 2020
21. Multi-Purpose Vessel Dec 2020
22. Offshore Patrol Vessel Dec 2020
23. Next Generation Missile Vessels Dec 2020
24. Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts Dec 2020

SNo Name of Platform/ Weapon/ System/ Equipment Indicative Year- Import Embargo
25. Water Jet Fast Attack Craft Dec 2020
26. Ammunition Barges Dec 2020
27. 50ton Bollard – Pull Tugs Dec 2020
28. Survey Vessels Dec 2020
29. Floating Dock Dec 2020
30. Diving Support Vessels Dec 2020
31. Pollution Control Vessels Dec 2020
32. Anti-Submarine Rocket Launchers Dec 2020
33. Shipborne Medium Range Gun Dec 2020
34. Torpedo Tube Launcher for Light Weight Torpedoes Dec 2020
35. Magneto – Rheological Anti Vibration Mounts Dec 2020
36. All variants of Depth Charges Dec 2020
37. Shipborne Sonar System for Large Ships Dec 2020
38. Hull Mounted Submarine Sonar Dec 2020
39. Short Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft Dec 2020
40. Anti-Submarine Rocket Dec 2020
41. Chaff Rockets Dec 2020
42. Chaff Rocket Launcher Dec 2020
43. Integrated Ship’s Bridge System Dec 2020
44. Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) MK I A – Enhanced Indigenised Content  

Dec 2020

45. Light Combat Helicopters Dec 2020
46. General Purpose Pre Fragmentation Bombs between 250-500 Kg  

Dec 2020

47. Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) for Transport Aircraft  

Dec 2020

48. Ground Based Mobile ELINT System  

Dec 2020

49. Transport Aircraft (Light)  

Dec 2020

50. GSAT-6 Satellite Terminals  

Dec 2020

51. Aerial Delivery Systems for Transport Aircraft Dec 2020
SNo Name of Platform/ Weapon/ System/ Equipment Indicative Year- Import Embargo
52. Digital Tropo Scatter/LOS Communication System  

Dec 2020

53. Low Level Transportable Radar Dec 2020
54. High Power Radar (HPR) Dec 2020
55. CBRN Detection & Monitoring System  

Dec 2020

56. CBRN Decontamination & Protection System Dec 2020
57. Parachute Tactical Assault (PTA)- G2 Dec 2020
58. Dragunov Upgrade System Dec 2020
59. PKMG Upgrade System Dec 2020
60. Simulators for A Vehicles / B Vehicles Dec 2020
61. Simulators for Towed and Self Propelled Guns of Air Defence Dec 2020
62. Simulators for Correction of Fire by Observers Dec 2020
63. Military trucks of 4×4 and above variants: 12×12, 10×10, 8×8, 6×6 Dec 2020
64. Fixed Wing Mini UAVs Dec 2020
65. 500 Ton Self Propelled Water Barges Dec 2020
66. Software Defined Radio (TAC) for IN Dec 2020
67. Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Battery (Long Range) Dec 2020
68. Advance Landing Ground Communication Terminals (ALGCTs)for AGLs  

Dec 2020

69. Field Artillery Tractor (FAT) 6X6 for Medium Guns Dec 2020

With Effect From Dec 2021

SNo Name of Platform/ Weapon/ System/ Equipment/ Indicative Year- Import Embargo
70. Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) Dec 2021
71. Light Machine Gun Dec 2021
72. 125 mm Fin  Stabilised Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS) New Generation Ammunition Dec 2021
73. Assault Rifle 7.62 x 39mm Dec 2021
74. 30 mm Ammunition for Infantry Fighting Systems Dec 2021
75. Mine Fragmentation Dec 2021
76. Mine Anti-tank Dec 2021
77. Mine Anti-Personnel Blast Dec 2021
78. Multipurpose Grenade Dec 2021
79. Inertial Navigation System for Ship Application Dec 2021
80. Conventional Submarines Dec 2021

 

 

Dec 2022 Onwards

81. 40mm UBGL (Under Barrel Grenade Launcher) Dec 2022
82. Lightweight Rocket Launcher Dec 2022
83. 155 mm Artillery Ammunition Dec 2022
84. EW Systems Dec 2022
85. Material Handling Crane 2.5 to 7.5 Tons (Vehicle Mounted) Dec 2023
86. GRAD BM Rocket Dec 2023
87. 30MM HEI/HET Dec 2023
88.  ASTRA-MK I Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile (BVR AAM) Dec 2023
89. EW Suit for MI-17 V5 Dec 2023
90. Communication Satellite GSAT-7C Dec 2023
91. Satellite GSAT 7R Dec 2023
92. Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA) Dec 2023
93. Expendable Aerial Targets Dec 2024
94. Small Jet Engines with 120kgf thrust Dec 2024
95. Light Low Level Terrain Radar (LLLWR) Dec 2024
96. Close in Weapon System  (Land based) Dec 2024
97. 23 mm ZU Ammunitions Dec 2024
98. 30mm VOG 17 Dec 2024
99. Electronic Fuses for Artillery Ammunitions Dec 2024
100. Bi- Modular Charge System (BMCS ) Dec 2024
101. Long Range – Land Attack Cruise Missile Dec 2025