The Indian Army will stop importing ammunition from the financial year 2025-26 according to Major General V K Sharma, ADG (Procurement). Taking mission Aatmanirbhar Bharat to new heights. The army has found domestic vendors that can provide ammunition of 150 of the 175 types used by the Indian Army. The big announcement has come as a result of the five negative import lists released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The indigenisation lists have listed a grand total of 4,666 items that also include sub-systems and Line Replacement Units (LRUs). The imports of these items will be halted in a graded manner. Ammunition the quantity of which is too low or the manufacture of which is not economically feasible will continue to be imported by the army. India is now mostly self-reliant from low-tech small arms ammunition to very advanced anti-aircraft missiles. Work is now on to get into more niche areas such as Very Short Range Air Defence Systems to plug in even more gaps.
The army has reduced the import of ammunition from abroad in the last decade and is currently importing between 5-10% of its requirement from abroad. The army procures ammunition worth Rs 8,000 Crores and the vast majority of the money will now be circulated within the Indian economic ecosystem and will also help preserve precious foreign reserves.
Private industry has also pitched in and many firms most prominently the Adani Group will also now make ammunition for the armed forces. This is besides the Ordnance Factory Board establishments. Both the PSUs as well as the private players are also exporting ammunition to other countries, adding to India’s foreign reserves from an account historically known as a major leak for said funds.
The global ammunition market is currently worth $30 Billion and India’s contribution to the market is minuscule. The nation currently has the capacity to provide 5-10% of the global requirement. The plan now is to grab 25-30% of the global market share by the end of the decade. India has exported weapons and ammunition worth Rs 21,083 Crores in the last financial year, registering a 32% growth.
Dhruv Yadav
