Negative list for Defence Imports being expanded
STORIES, ANALYSES, EXPERT VIEWS
Manu Pubby (Senior Editor, Economic Times, writes on defence and strategic affairs) reports India is set to expand its negative list for defence imports to include new age weapons. The first list, drawn in December last year, is set to be expanded as part of an exercise to bring more business to the Indian industry and cut down reliance on foreign suppliers.
Major platforms that are likely to make it to the list, says Pubby, include all light single engine helicopters, next generation corvettes for the Navy and armoured recovery and reconnaissance vehicles, according to people in the know. The final list is expected to be cleared in a meeting on Monday, with each system being designated a particular deadline for indigenous procurement.
While the original list included major platforms such as towed artillery guns, conventional submarines and attack helicopters, the expanded one is likely to also have a range of small arms including 5.56 mm carbines and anti-material rifles.
Besides, a large set of ammunition, ranging from 40 mm grenades, 80 mm warhead rockets, limpet mines and armoured piercing incendiary bullets are likely to be reserved only for Indian manufacturers, both from the private and public sectors. A large part of the list could also focus on stopping the import of spares for existing weapon systems that are a large burden on the exchequer.
Significantly, the new list is also set to have loitering munitions with a range of 50 km and a 25 kg payload that are likely to be banned for imports from December 2023. Such weapons have displayed their prowess in recent battles, greatly blunting conventional systems like tanks and armoured vehicles. The army has already expressed interest in acquiring such munitions that are also being currently developed by the Indian industry.
Similarly, counter drone systems – the importance for which has also been demonstrated in recent devastating attacks on civil and military infrastructure across the world – are likely to be banned for imports from December 2025 and will be procured through the IDEX startup challenge being mentored by the Department of Defence Production.
Pub reports India has reserved more than Rs 70,000 crore of its defence capital budget only for the domestic sector as part of a series of steps to remove the tag of being among the world’s largest importer of weapons.
