Navy indigenises 70% of ammunition, places orders worth ₹5,000 cr
On this occasion, a report prepared by the PHDCCI on “Ammunitions Ecosystem For A Self-Reliant And Future-Ready India” was also unveiled
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BISWARANJAN ROUT
The Indian Navy has achieved 70 per cent indigenisation in different categories of ammunition and placed orders worth ₹5,000 crore to equip its inventory, said Kaval Singh, Principal Director of Naval Armament, on Wednesday.
Speaking at the PHDCCI’s Ammo Power Conference, the Principal Director of Naval Armament sought attention towards meeting various challenges for a smooth transition to complete atmanirbharta in ammunition.
That would require capacity building, capacity utilisation, technology upgradation, meeting high capital cost, safety issues, regulations and quality assurance, deficiency of critical resources, supply chain vulnerability and the dependency on imports, he told a gathering of industry representatives, armed forces personnel and other stakeholders.
He suggested convergence of the users, the industry and the policy makers to overcome these challenges.
“Indian Navy has already done 70% indigenisation. There’s a lot of scope for existing as well as new players. We have almost Rs.5000 crore outstanding orders, there are a lot of orders in the pipeline. For private industry, sky’s the limit with the recent changes in warfare and the disruption in this sector”, said Singh, a senior Indian Naval Armament Service officer.
On the ammunition landscape in the land force, Lt General Amardeep Singh Aujla, Master General Sustenance of Indian Army, stated that out of the 175 variants of ammunition in the inventory, 154 have been indiginised so far. By the end of this year, ammunition used by the Indian Army will be 100 per cent indigenous, he said in his address.
“Wars today are becoming lethal and precise, Indian Armed forces are looking at smart and intelligent ammunition which are tailor made and customised to our requirements with faster replenishments, assured quality and 100% indigenous. Future of the Indian Army will not be built in the battlefield alone, it will be built in your factories, your R&D centres,” he stated.
In his opening address, Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production), Ministry of Defence, asked all the stakeholders to come together to meet the requirement of ammunition as he pitched for self-reliance in a world with growing insecurities.
“There’s no lacking in the intention of the government and armed forces as users, the industry needs to concentrate on the entire value chain so that we are not only able to meet our requirements but also fulfil global requirements. Improved ammunition and the quantity are very important. Even in the medieval period, improved ammunition played an advantage in the war. We need to be self-reliant in Ammunitions at all cost as even the friendly nations are working towards fulfilling their own requirement, Sanjeev Kumar said.
Air Marshal KAA Sanjeeb, Director General (Systems), Indian Air Force, on his part exhorted the industry to become producers and not just assemblers, and create a centre of excellence. He also advised to work with global giants like Israel and Russia and invest in building intellect in the armament sector.
There’s also a need to relax licensing, both import and export, Air Marshal Sanjeeb stated.
On this occasion, a report prepared by the PHDCCI on “Ammunitions Ecosystem For A Self-Reliant And Future-Ready India” was also unveiled.
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Published on July 30, 2025
