Amit Cowshish, Author at raksha-anirveda.com

An Overview of the Defence Budget 2023-24

Amit Cowshish - February 8, 2023

At Rs 5,93,538 crore, the total defence outlay for the financial year (FY) 2023-24, including the outlay of Rs 1,38,205 crore for defence pensions, represents a 13.02% year-on-year growth over the current year’s budget...

Defence Budget 2023-24: What to Expect?

Amit Cowshish - February 8, 2023

The primary, if not the only, expectation the armed forces have from the union budget is that the finance minister will pull a rabbit out of the hat and allocate whatever funds are demanded...

DAP 2020: Has it Delivered?

Amit Cowshish - October 14, 2022

India’s defence acquisition regime is currently governed by Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 (DAP 2020). It came into effect on October 1, 2020, superseding Defence Procurement Procedure 2016 (DPP 2016). Like all its previous versions,...

Realism in Setting the Requirement Key to the Success of MRFA Acquisition Programme

Amit Cowshish - July 26, 2022

Quite recently, on June 27, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhary, Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force (IAF) said that the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) selected for the 114 multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA)...

Positive Indigenisation Lists: Does Formal Ban on Imports Help?

Amit Cowshish - May 12, 2022

With the notification of the third ‘positive indigenisation list’ of 101 items on April 07, 2022, the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) has so far banned import of 310 defence items in the last...

India’s Defence Exports Require A More Nuanced Strategy

Amit Cowshish - March 20, 2022

In what may possibly be among the first major defence export contract in recent times, BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd signed an agreement for $374 million on December 31, 2021, for the sale of eponymous...

Tata-Airbus C-295 Contract: A Cause for Celebration

Amit Cowshish - October 19, 2021

After a decade of dithering, the ministry of defence (MoD) signed the contract with Airbus Defence and Space S.A., Spain on September 25 for acquisition of 56 C-295MW medium transport aircraft. This over Rs...

Security Concerns Persist After 74 Years of India’s Independence

Amit Cowshish - August 14, 2021

India celebrates its 75th Independence Day on August 15 amidst rapidly growing security concerns emanating from the enduring border disputes with China and Pakistan, China’s forays into the Indian Ocean Region, the Afghanistan imbroglio,...

Need for Realism on the Indigenisation lists

Amit Cowshish - July 15, 2021

On May 31, the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) released a list of 108 items whose import is to be progressively banned by December 2025. Christened ‘Second Positive Indigenisation List’, it supplements the first...

Will the US Succeed in Decoupling India’s Defence Bear Hug with Russia?

Amit Cowshish - April 14, 2021

The maiden two-day visit of US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd J Austin to New Delhi in March 2021 signified the Biden-Harris administration’s intent to continue bilateral strategic engagement with India, without any significant departure...

IAF’s C-295 Transport Aircraft Project Has Many Long Range Goals

Amit Cowshish - February 12, 2021

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) seems all set to award the $2.5 billion contract for 56 EADS CASA C-295 transport aircraft to Airbus Defence and Space of Spain. These aircraft will replace the Siddeley...

Defence Budget 2021-22: Hardship to Continue

Amit Cowshish - February 7, 2021

India’s net defence budget of Rs 4,78,195.62 crore for the Financial Year (FY) 2021-22 is only Rs 6,817.62 crore more than the current FY’s budget estimate (BE). This paltry increase is ironic because the...

Atmanirbharta in Defence Production: FM’s Reforms Package

Amit Cowshish - July 14, 2020

Defence production is one of the eight sectors for which structural reforms were announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on May 16 to pave the way for an Atmanirbhar Bharat. There is no telling...