Coronavirus stalls all major defence acquisitions

fire starter

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Jan 14, 2020
Messages
9,609
Likes
84,137
Country flag
isn't their own defence acquisitions will also be stalled.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Absolut_Vodka

Quarantined Abdul
Banned
Joined
Feb 16, 2019
Messages
1,413
Likes
7,071
Country flag
Even if defence deals go through, there's no guarantee of delivery under timeline because factories can be shut if an outbreak occurs.

New acquisitions are stalled either way.
 

shuvo@y2k10

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
2,653
Likes
6,709
Country flag
isn't their own defence acquisitions will also be stalled.
China is self dependent when it comes to Defence aquisition. So current situation will not affect much.Already they have started their manufacturing sector.
Pakistan is a beggar nation which depends on weapons donated as alms by USA or China. The Chinese alms will continue, even though USA alms will stop for the time -being.
India when it comes to defence aquistion have chosen to go over the import route, over domestic indegeneous purchase. From assault rifles to tanks to fighter planes everything. Huge amount of our forex reserves are wasted in those. Various reasons exists: lack of self-confidence in armed forces about indegeneous products(present and future), lobbying and bribing by foreign arms companies and above all the need to keep big powers like US and Russia happy. Hence in the post pandemic world, where our forex reserve is less, we can barely afford to import. So our defence aquistion is stalled in the foreseable future, because even if the local productions starts, armed forces will refuse to induct it.
 

nrj

Ambassador
Joined
Nov 16, 2009
Messages
9,658
Likes
3,911
Country flag

Immanuel

Senior Member
Joined
May 16, 2011
Messages
3,541
Likes
7,446
Country flag
Yup folks, no more money, no more Rafales than the 36, it will take 3-5 years to recover from the Chinese Kung Flu kick to the tenders. Question now is, are we going to keep stroking our dicks or are we actually going to do something about this Chinese move.
 

Defcon 1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2011
Messages
2,195
Likes
1,841
Country flag
This can be a golden opportunity for DRDO and Indian private industry. They must make full use of this and find ways to work from home and continue development of Indian weapons. Ignoring all the BS about armed forces wanting to import weapons for kickbacks, the simple fact is, India will buy whatver weapon is ready and is in production. DRDO needs to make sure that when finally the forces have funds, their systems are ready and not in development.
 

shuvo@y2k10

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
2,653
Likes
6,709
Country flag
Important low hanging fruits which can be cancelled to save the import bill,and replaced with indegeenous ones.

1. MMRCA: with increased number of Tejas MK1A, MWF and OCRA
2. Additional T-90S: with Arjun MK1A and MK2 MBT, Tank Ex
3. Soltam tracked artillery : with ATAGS, Dhanush
4. AK203 (7.62*39 mm): with Ghatak,TAR, MCIWS or P-72(SSSDefence)
5. Caracal carbine 5.56mm: with JVPC, AAR carbine, SSS offerings
6. P-75I submarine: modified version of Scorpene submarine with DRDO AIP.
 

ashdoc

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
2,980
Likes
3,679
Country flag
Important low hanging fruits which can be cancelled to save the import bill,and replaced with indegeenous ones.

1. MMRCA: with increased number of Tejas MK1A, MWF and OCRA
2. Additional T-90S: with Arjun MK1A and MK2 MBT, Tank Ex
3. Soltam tracked artillery : with ATAGS, Dhanush
4. AK203 (7.62*39 mm): with Ghatak,TAR, MCIWS or P-72(SSSDefence)
5. Caracal carbine 5.56mm: with JVPC, AAR carbine, SSS offerings
6. P-75I submarine: modified version of Scorpene submarine with DRDO AIP.
What is the exact rate of production of tejas per year? I have heard it is only 8 per year. At this rate we will require 10 more years for even 83 tejas mk1a to come.
 

Frontrunner

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2019
Messages
385
Likes
2,206
Country flag
Will it also hit 83 tejas mk1A deal..?? Apparently it was about to be signed anytime soon.. however this usual cringe inducing bureaucracy always plagues our defence preparedness... Now with Corona pendamic .. our economy will be in doldrums.. so future defence expedinture nd defence equipment acquisition will be first to receive major hit....
Man!! This is so cringe inducing.. i hope bakis goes bankrupt so we can all live in peace.
 

Mikesingh

Professional
Joined
Sep 7, 2015
Messages
7,353
Likes
30,450
Country flag
Golden oppurtunity to scrap MMRCA,perfect excuse.Also increase indigenization massively in next 5 years.
The grapevine had it that Russia was keen for Indian investment and collaboration in their 6th gen fighter, the SU-60 (an upgraded enhanced version of the 5th gen SU-57). That will now be pushed into the pages of history, or at least not until 2025-30.
 

Mikesingh

Professional
Joined
Sep 7, 2015
Messages
7,353
Likes
30,450
Country flag
What is the exact rate of production of tejas per year? I have heard it is only 8 per year. At this rate we will require 10 more years for even 83 tejas mk1a to come.
Current capacity with full utilization of available resources by HAL is 8 Tejas per year. However,
HAL has put in place the infrastructure to double its capacity to produce 16 of the fighter jets every year with two assembly lines in operation and has a contingency plan to increase it further if the need arises.

HAL is also planning to outsource 35% of the estimated Rs 38,000 crore contract to the private sector
to manufacture 83 of the LCA Mk 1A fighters — to be equipped with advanced radars, sensors and indigenous weaponry. Significant amount of this manufacturing will go to private sector companies such as L&T, VEM Technologies, Alpha Design and Dynamatics who will supply major parts of the fuselage etc for the fighters.

HAL should have thought of doing this long ago. But as they say, it's better late than never!

Not that we don't have expertise in manufacturing airplanes in the private sector. Check out DRAL. In 2 years, probably 3 now, due to the corona virus attack, fully locally assembled Dassault Falcon 2000 business jets will roll off the Indo-French production line near Nagpur. Presently, Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) is producing the cockpit section and undercarriage of the Falcon 2000 - Dassault's bestselling business jet. Work is in progress to scale up assembly of the full aircraft in India by 2022/23.
 
Last edited:

Assassin 2.0

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
Messages
6,087
Likes
30,705
Country flag
The defence industry has suggested that outgoing funds planned for foreign companies that have ongoing contracts should be redirected to Indian entities



to keep them a going concern and have flagged off concerns that the prolonged lockdown will have dire consequences as exports have come to a complete halt. In a detailed exit strategy post the lockdown, the industry has suggested to the ministry of defence that outsourcing of work from public sector units is urgently required and that the defence sector be placed under the essential services category to avoid a meltdown of the ecosystem. Faced with the pressure of retaining its highly skilled workforce and anticipating a cut in government spending, the industry has suggested that as an immediate measure, funds earmarked for payments to companies in the US, Russia, Israel and the European Union be redirected to companies domestically. “Most (foreign) companies who have on-going contracts with Indian MOD have also been in lock-down mode since mid February or early March. They may remain so till end June or beyond. Therefore, it is anticipated that outgo of funds meant for contracts of foreign OEMs would not take place as planned,” said a note sent by Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers to the ministry. A bulk of India’s capital acquisition budget still goes overseas due to the import dependency. This includes major cost intensive platforms like fighter jets, transport aircraft, helicopters and missiles, besides ammunition. The note said that many companies are facing a possible bankruptcy within weeks of the lifting of the lockdown. “It is feared that the current lockdown will not only affect the production of military hardware, but structurally hurt the fledgling private sector aerospace and defence industry, the bulk of which is MSME in Nature,” it said. As reported by ET, a separate study on the Covid-19 impact on the defence industry says that 40% of defence MSMEs face closure within three to four months unless urgent steps are taken by the government. Pointing out that countries like the US, Israel, Australia and South Korea have earmarked defence and aerospace industries as ‘essential services’, the body has asked the ministry to extend the same to India to remain self reliant. The closure, the industry says, has hit exports hard and risks placing Indian companies in the ‘unreliable’ category for future business as well. “Many countries have declared their defence industries as essential services. Foreign companies are therefore insisting on performance of contracts and do not reckon ‘lockdown’ situation in India as ‘force majeure’. This may also lead to financial penalties to Indian industries,” it said. Asking for a calibrated opening up in which the work force ramps up to 60% in three weeks, the industry has also suggested that a list of pending projects may be drawn up with all stakeholders and orders for the Indian defence sector be accelerated. Recover the time lost in various projects (contracts) being undertaken by Indian industry, both public and private. MOD may promulgate suitable directive for the Services, DRDO, OFs and DPSUs prepare the list of projects, duly prioritised, and advise private industry to ramp up effort in those specific projects. Pending projects that are in the final stages, should be signed by July, the note said. The industry has also reiterated its request that all pending payments from defence public sector units and the services be cleared at the earliest to give much need capital that will enable the companies to survive.
 

Assassin 2.0

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
Messages
6,087
Likes
30,705
Country flag
Arunachal’s ex-Sukhoi pilot turns Covid-warrior, wants India to end dependency on China

Mohonto Panging never ceases to amaze you. The “awe-inspiring” retired group Captain of Indian Air Force, who was at the forefront of India’s aerial strike force for decades, is getting battle-ready again. Five years after his retirement, India’s ex-ace fighter pilot, who led a squadron of Sukhoi-30 under his command, is perhaps fighting a more “lethal enemy” this time. The first pilot from North-East who achieved such rare feats, Panging is not new to adversaries what with guarding country’s frontier, flying 3,300 hours on various aircraft like Sukhoi-30, Jaguar, Hunter and Mig-29. Back in his hometown Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh, he is leading the frontier state’s COVID fightback. He is now busy overseeing production to meet the demands of sanitary masks and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) produced at his garment industry. The fighter-pilot-turned-Covid-warrior, who said his unit has so far produced 50,000 reusable face masks and 1000 PPEs so far, is against India’s move to import kits from China. “What’s the point of importing PPEs from a country from where coronavirus has originated? Does it many any sense? I have served my country for decades and fully aware of my country’s ability. The PPEs produced at my mechanised industry is producing PPEs for people, who are fighting the pandemic staying at the front line. I need my country India to be self-reliant and not dependent on China for anything. When we can produce PPEs and masks, what is the need to seek any other country’s help?,” Panging told earthlyindian.com in an exclusive interview. So how does he make PPEs when the country is struggling to get them? “Necessity is the mother of invention. I was desperate to find a way out and consulted medical experts and sought their help to prepare PPEs. I have also took the help of Google to find out ways to get raw materials. Now, I can say that I have technology to prepare the protective kits,” Panging said. He further added, “My industrial unit was focused on producing school uniforms and sportswear. But extraordinary situation pushed me to think otherwise. Coronavirus spread has pushed the humanity towards danger of unprecedented scale and any responsible citizen’s job is to try and save lives. I have realised the urgent need of PPEs for frontline workers, including health workers, police and volunteers to win the battle against covid-19.” The astute retired Captain quickly realised that NE states would fall short of medical equipment. “The situation in North-East states can be more alarming if the situation goes out of hand. The prevailing situation of coronavirus scare and apprehension of the front line workers influenced me to turn my garment factory to mask and PPE production unit. We are supplying reusable face masks and protective kits to different districts in Arunachal Pradesh according to demand. We’re ready to supply kits to other states in North-East as well”, he added. The retired captain, who is involved with a charitable Trust and local NGO, donated about 10,000 masks to various departments for distribution among the needy ones. He is against Assam government and Centre’s move to purchase PPEs from China, which he termed very “unsafe” and “suicidal.” The garment unit called ‘Elam Industry’ was established by Panging in 2015, soon after his retirement from IAF. The alumnus of National Defence Academy said the idea of setting up a textile industry struck his head during his trip to Ahmedabad in 2012.Local entrepreneurs were entrusted with production. The unit was inaugurated by then union minister of Industries Smriti Irani in the presence of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and other dignitaries.At present, 50 regular workers are engaged in producing masks and PPEs at the unit.

👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏🙏
 

Defcon 1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2011
Messages
2,195
Likes
1,841
Country flag
Golden oppurtunity to scrap MMRCA,perfect excuse.Also increase indigenization massively in next 5 years.
I have a strong hunch now that MMRCA 2 will be cancelled in favor of lca mk2 and covid is going to be chief reason for that. It will not happen today or tomorrow, but few years down the line
 

Aashu11

New Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
2
Likes
0
Country flag
Golden opportunity to scrap MMRCA,perfect excuse.Also increase indigenization massively in next 5 years.
hey saw your posts on indian battles well researched content, would you like to collaborate on making infographics on such topics ?
 

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top