MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Ministry of Defence

Development & national security go hand-in-hand – The twin objectives in focus in MoD’s push for Aatmanirbharta in Defence New India powered by the indigenous ecosystem; INS Vikrant, LCH ‘Prachand’ and other new acquisitions strengthen the might of the Armed Forces Record rise of defence exports – Emergence of Indian companies on global stage‘AGNIPATH’ rolled out to build a youthful, tech-savvy & future-ready Armed Forces – Agniveers to begin training from January 2023Thrust on border infrastructure development continues Ministry of Defence

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE – YEAR END REVIEW 2022

Continuous efforts to increase defence exports in order to achieve the collective goal of global peace and prosperity, in line with the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ vision, bore fruit as many countries showed keen interest in Indian platforms, resulting in record defence exports. Border area development, Nari Shakti, expansion of National Cadet Corps (NCC) and setting up of new Sainik Schools to instil patriotism among youth moved forward with a renewed thrust.

Key highlights:

1. Agnipath– Major Transformative Reform

• The AGNIPATH scheme for recruitment of youth in the Armed Forces was launched in June, allowing patriotic youth (Agniveers) to don the sacred uniform and serve the country for a period of four years.
• The scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces and bring about a transformational shift towards a more tech-savvy military.
• The recruitment entails an attractive monthly package with Risk & Hardship allowances as applicable in the three Services and a one-time ‘Seva Nidhi’ package to be paid to Agniveers upon completion of their engagement period.
• The response from patriotic youth towards the scheme has been encouraging. Over 54 lakh registrations, including by female aspirants, were received by the three Services for recruitment into the Armed Forces (Indian Army – 37.09 lakh; Indian Navy – 9.55 lakh and Indian Air Force – 7.69 Lahks). Training centres are geared up to commence training shortly with improved training infrastructure.
• The preparation and promulgation of the Basic Military Training Policy governing the training of Agniveers have been revised and implemented for the smooth commencement of the training. Requirement of Training Infrastructure for Regimental Centres encompassing Simulators. IT Infrastructure, Training Aggregates, Physical Training/Sports Infrastructure, and Works have been worked out and promulgated to cater to the reduced duration of training.

2. INS Vikrant – Red letter day for ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’

• India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was commissioned by the Prime Minister at Cochin Shipyard Limited in September. The commissioning showcased the country’s growing prowess of indigenous manufacturing and a major milestone in the path towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
• With 76% indigenous content, the 262.5 m long and 61.6 m wide ship is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment/systems, designed for a crew of around 1,600 officers and sailors.
• The carrier is designed with a very high degree of automation for machinery operations, ship navigation, and survivability. It is capable of operating an air wing consisting of 30 aircraft comprising of MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, and MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters and Light Combat Aircraft Navy. Using a novel aircraft-operation mode known as Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery, INS Vikrant is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft and a set of ‘arrester wires’ for their recovery onboard.

3. Other major ‘Made in India’ inductions/launches:

• LCH ‘Prachand’: The Raksha Mantri presided over the formal induction of the Light Combat Helicopter, designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), ‘Prachand’ into the Indian Air Force in Jodhpur in October 2022. The LCH is the first indigenous Multi-Role Combat Helicopter that has potent ground attack and aerial combat capability. It possesses modern stealth characteristics, robust armor protection, and formidable night attack capability. Onboard advanced navigation systems, guns tailored for close combat, and potent air-to-air missiles make the LCH especially suited for the modern battlefield. It is capable of operating from high-altitude terrain and carrying out precision strikes at high-altitude targets.
• Indian Naval Air Squadron: Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 325, operating the indigenously built Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mk-III, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in a ceremony held at INS Utkrosh, Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Command in May 2022. The unit was the second ALH MK III Squadron commissioned into the Indian Navy. The state-of-the-art multi-role helicopter has been developed and manufactured by HAL. The ALH Mk-III helicopters feature state-of-the-art equipment including advanced RADAR as well as Electro optical sensors, Shakti engines, full glass cockpits, high-intensity searchlights, advanced communication systems, automatic identification systems as well as a search-and-rescue homer. This feature enables the helicopter to undertake maritime reconnaissance as well as carry out search and rescue at extended ranges while operating from ships, both by day and night.
• Missile Destroyers/Frigates: The Raksha Mantri launched two frontline warships of the Indian Navy – ‘Surat’ and ‘Udaygiri’ – at Mazagon Docks Limited, Mumbai in May. ‘Surat’ is the fourth Stealth-Guided Missile Destroyer of the P15B class, while ‘Udaygiri’ is the second Stealth Frigate of P17A class. Project 15B class of ships are the next-generation stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy which are follow-on class of the weapon-intensive P15A (Kolkata Class) Destroyers. P17A Frigates are warships that are a follow-on class of the P17 (Shivalik Class) Frigates with improved stealth features, advanced weapons & sensors, and platform management systems. Y-12705 (Mormugao), the second ship of Project 15B, was delivered to Indian Navy in November, while the fifth Stealth Frigate ‘Taragiri’ of P17A was launched in September.
• Diving Support/Survey vessels: Two Diving Support Vessels (DSVs) – Nisar and Nipun – built by Hindustan Shipyard Ltd, Visakhapatnam were launched in September. DSVs equipped with an array of complex Diving Support systems and Deep Submergence Rescue vessels are being deployed for deep sea diving and submarine rescue operations. The ships are also capable of conducting Search and Rescue operations and carrying out Helicopter Operations at sea. They were launched by achieving approx. 80% indigenous content, a major step towards ‘Self Reliance’.‘Ikshak’, the third of the four Survey Vessels (Large) (SVL) Project, being built by GRSE/L&T for the Indian Navy was launched in November in Chennai. SVL ships will replace the existing Sandhayak Class survey ships with new-generation hydrographic equipment to collect oceanographic data.
• ICG ALH squadrons: In a major boost to further strengthening the capabilities of the Indian Coast Guard, ALH Mk-III squadrons – 835 Sqn (CG) and 840 Sqn (CG) – were commissioned in Porbandar and Chennai in June and December respectively.
• ICG-Offshore Patrol Vessel: Indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessel for Indian Coast Guard, Saksham was inducted in February. The ship has been designed and built by Goa Shipyard Ltd and is fitted with advanced technology navigation and communication equipment, sensors and machinery.

4. C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility:

• The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility – the country’s first in the private sector – in Vadodara, Gujarat in October. The facility will manufacture C-295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force through collaboration between Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Airbus Defence and Space S.A., Spain.
• This is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company. The total cost of the project is Rs 21,935 crore. The aircraft can be used for civilian purposes as well.
• 40 aircraft will be manufactured at the facility, while 16 aircraft will be delivered in flyaway condition, as per the contract signed between Ministry of Defence with M/s Airbus Defence and Space S.A.

5. Continuous pursuit of self-reliance – Other major announcements:

• Positive Indigenisation Lists: Four lists– two of 101 items each & two others for Defence PSUs of 780 & 107 items respectively – were notified by Ministry of Defence. The Raksha Mantri released the third positive indigenisation list of 101 items, comprising major equipment/platforms, in April, while the fourth list of another 101 items was announced by the Prime Minister during the opening ceremony of DefExpo 2022 in Gujarat in October. To minimise imports by DPSUs under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, the Ministry of Defence, in March, approved another list of 107 strategically important Line Replacement Units (LRUs)/sub-systems with a timeline beyond which there will be an embargo on their import. In August, the Raksha Mantri approved the third list of 780 strategically important LRUs/Sub-systems/components.

• Defence exports: Due to the Government’s persistent efforts, defence exports grew by 334% in the last five years. They touched a record Rs 13,000 crore in Financial Year 2021-22. India is now exporting defence equipment to over 75 countries.
• procurement of 35 combat and three Practice BrahMos missiles for two P-15B ships from M/s BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd., India for an amount of Rs 1,723 crore.
• The total cost of the contract is Rs 1,075 crore.
• These tugs, with a service life of 30 years, will be capable of assisting naval ships and submarines in berthing and un-berthing, turning and manoeuvring in confined waters.
• iDEX Prime: The Raksha Mantri launched Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) Prime and 6thDefence India Start-up Challenge (DISC 6) during DefConnect 2.0 in New Delhi. The iDEX-Prime aims to support projects, requiring support beyond Rs 1.5 crore up to Rs 10 crore to help ever-growing start-ups in the defence sector.
• The products fall under various domains such as AI Platform Automation; Autonomous/Unmanned/Robotics systems; Block Chain-based Automation; Command, Control, Communication, Computer and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance; Cyber Security; Human Behavioural Analysis; Intelligent Monitoring Systems; Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems; Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Operational Data Analytics; Manufacturing and Maintenance; Simulators/Test Equipment and speech/voice analysis using Natural Language Processing.
• US Navy ship repair: Providing a huge boost to ‘Make in India’ and adding a new dimension to the Indo-US strategic partnership, US Navy Ship Charles Drew visited L&T’s Shipyard at Kattupalli, Chennai in August for undertaking repairs and allied services. This was the first-ever repair of a US Navy ship in India.

Warriors NDA Academy | Warriors Defence Academy