As
part of ‘Aatmanirbharta in Defence’ and to further boost
Make-in-India initiative, the Ministry of Defence
(MoD) signed five major capital acquisition contracts worth Rs
39,125.39 crore on 1 March 2024 in New Delhi.
Out
of the five contracts, one was with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for
procurement of aero engines for MiG-29 aircraft, two with Larsen & Toubro
Limited for procurement of Close-in Weapon System (CIWS) and procurement of
High-Power Radar (HPR) and two with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited
(BAPL) for procurement of BrahMos missiles and procurement of ship borne BrahMos system
for the Indian Defence Forces. “These deals will further strengthen
indigenous capabilities, save foreign exchange and reduce dependency on Foreign
Origin Equipment Manufactures in future”, stated MoD.
The
contract for RD-33 aero engines for MiG-29 aircraft has been signed with
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at a cost of Rs 5,249.72 crore. These aero engines
will be produced by the Koraput Division of HAL. These aero engines are
expected to fulfill the need of Indian Air Force (IAF) to
sustain the operational capability of the MiG-29 fleet for the residual
service life. The aero engines will be manufactured under Transfer of
Technology (TOT) license from the Russian OEM. The programme will focus on
indigenisation of several high value critical components, which would help
increase the indigenous content of future Repair and Overhaul (ROH) tasks of
RD-33 aero engines.
The
contract for procurement of CIWS has been signed with Larsen & Toubro
Limited at a cost of Rs 7,668.82 crore. CIWS will provide terminal air defence to
select locations of the country. The project will boost and encourage active
participation of Indian aerospace, defence and associated industries including
MSMEs. The direct and indirect employment generated by this project would be
approximately average of 2,400 persons/year over the period of five years.
The
contract for procurement of HPR has also been signed with Larsen & Toubro
Limited at a cost of Rs 5,700.13 crore. It will replace existing long-range
radars of lAF with modern Active Aperture Phased Array based HPR
with advanced surveillance features. It will significantly enhance the
terrestrial air defence capabilities of IAF with integration of sophisticated
sensors capable of detection of small radar cross section targets. It will
boost to indigenous radar manufacturing technology as it would be first of its
kind radar built by the private sector in India. The direct and indirect
employment generated by this project would be approximately average of 1,000
people/year over the period of five years.
The
contract for procurement of BrahMos missiles was signed with
BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) at a cost of Rs 19,518.65 crore.
These missiles would be utilised to meet combat outfit and training
requirements of Indian Navy. This project is likely to generate employment of
nine lakh man-days in Joint Venture entity and around 135 lakh man-days in
ancillary industries (including MSMEs) of the country.
The
contract for procurement of ship borne BrahMos system has also been
signed with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) at a cost of Rs
988.07 crore. This system is the Indian Navy's primary weapon for maritime
strike operations fitted onboard various frontline warships. The system is
capable of hitting land or sea targets from extended ranges with pinpoint
accuracy at supersonic speeds. The project is likely to generate employment of
around 60,000 man-days over a period of 7-8 years.
