India puts domestic industry at heart of new military equipment orders

NEW DELHI — India will source nearly all of $11.6 billion worth of recently approved military hardware from domestic manufacturers, underscoring New Delhi’s push to reduce dependence on foreign arms suppliers as it modernizes its armed forces.

The Defense Acquisition Council headed by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh granted “in principle” approval, which is essentially a green light to begin the procurement process.

“Approximately 98% of procurements will be made from the Indian Industry,” a Defense Ministry statement said on Monday.

The ambitious goal to source nearly all of the latest round of military acquisitions domestically comes amid a significant shift in government policy. After years of relying heavily on state-owned firms for defense production, India, the world’s fifth largest military spender, has encouraged a larger role for the private sector as part of efforts to build a more dynamic military industrial base.

The latest military equipment approvals span all three services and cover a broad range of equipment. For the Army, they include advanced light helicopters, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear reconnaissance vehicles, mine-laying vehicles, high mobility vehicles and portable bridges to cross rivers and difficult terrain.

The Navy will get new surveillance radars to replace aging systems at naval air stations. The approvals also include funding to design and develop marine gas turbines domestically. India builds its own warships but still imports propulsion systems from overseas suppliers – a gap seen as a major strategic vulnerability.

The Air Force acquisitions include a ground-based multi-purpose jammer for electronic warfare and unspecified equipment to enhance the war-fighting capability of fighter jets, transport aircraft and helicopters.

The funds will be allocated from the $86 billion annual defense budget approved earlier this year.

The involvement of private industry in defense manufacturing has helped India increase the share of equipment produced domestically and reduce reliance on imports. The government says roughly 65% of India’s military hardware is now produced domestically, marking a major reversal from a decade ago when that same share -- about two-thirds of its military hardware—was imported.

Nearly a quarter of the approximately $20 billion worth of defense equipment produced in the last fiscal year, 2025–26, came from private companies.

Pointing out that private industry brings efficiency, research capabilities and a greater willingness to take risks, Defense Minister Singh said earlier this year that the country aims to increase its share in defense production to 50%.

Private defense companies now manufacture everything from radars, artillery guns, armored vehicles, missiles and ammunition to drones, small arms, aerostructures and naval systems, expanding into areas once dominated by state-owned manufacturers.

The emphasis on domestic manufacturing aims to reduce the country’s strategic vulnerability to foreign suppliers and ensure that the military can replenish equipment and weapons faster during hostilities. Observers, however, point out that some of this equipment such as drones, uses several imported components like sensors and avionics, making the country still dependent on foreign technology and supply chains.

India also continues to rely heavily on foreign suppliers for several key military platforms such as fighter jets.

新德里——印度最近批准的价值 116 亿美元的军事装备几乎全部来自国内制造商，这凸显了新德里在实现军队现代化的同时，努力减少对外国武器供应商的依赖。

由国防部长拉杰纳特·辛格领导的国防采购委员会“原则上”批准了该项目，这实际上为启动采购流程开了绿灯。

“大约 98% 的采购将来自印度本土企业，”国防部周一发表声明称。

印度雄心勃勃地计划在最新一轮军事采购中几乎全部采用国内采购，这一目标的出台正值政府政策发生重大转变之际。多年来，印度一直严重依赖国有企业进行国防生产。作为世界第五大军费开支国，印度鼓励私营部门发挥更大作用，以期构建更具活力的军事工业基础。

最新一批军用装备审批涵盖了陆军、海军、海军和海军三军，涉及范围广泛。陆军的审批装备包括先进轻型直升机、化学、生物、放射性及核侦察车、布雷车、高机动性车辆以及用于跨越河流和复杂地形的便携式桥梁。

印度海军将采购新型监视雷达，以替换海军航空站的老旧系统。此次批准的项目还包括为自主设计和研发船用燃气轮机提供资金。印度虽然能够建造自己的军舰，但仍需从海外供应商进口推进系统——这一缺口被视为一项重大的战略漏洞。

空军此次采购的装备包括用于电子战的地面多用途干扰器，以及用于增强战斗机、运输机和直升机作战能力的未指明设备。

这笔资金将从今年早些时候批准的860亿美元年度国防预算中拨付。

私营企业参与国防制造，帮助印度提高了国产装备的比例，并减少了对进口的依赖。印度政府表示，目前印度约65%的军事装备是国产的，这与十年前的情况截然不同，当时印度约三分之二的军事装备依赖进口。

在上一个财政年度（2025-2026 年），价值约 200 亿美元的国防装备中，近四分之一来自私营公司。

国防部长辛格今年早些时候指出，私营企业能够带来效率、研发能力和更大的风险承担意愿，并表示该国的目标是将自身在国防生产中的份额提高到 50%。

私营国防公司现在生产从雷达、火炮、装甲车、导弹和弹药到无人机、小型武器、航空结构和海军系统等各种产品，并扩展到曾经由国有制造商主导的领域。

重视国内制造业旨在降低该国对外国供应商的战略依赖性，并确保军队在战时能够更快地补充装备和武器。然而，观察人士指出，部分装备，例如无人机，使用了多种进口部件，如传感器和航空电子设备，这使得该国仍然依赖外国技术和供应链。

印度在战斗机等几个关键军事平台方面仍然严重依赖外国供应商。