New Delhi: In a move to boost defence exports, India has come out with a list of 152 items that are available to friendly nations as part of its plan to expand its current US$11 billion defence base to US$25 billion by 2025, with a US$5 billion export component.
The list, including 85 kinds of equipment and 47 sub-systems, has been curated to meet the needs of the countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and Africa — some of the top items featured on it are the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers and the Combat Management System.
The list, which was released by the Department of Defence Production during the Aero India airshow last week, does not mention Arjun tanks and Astra air-to-air missiles, which were included in a separate list put out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The list also includes products from private sector manufacturers that haven’t found an entry into the Indian armed forces.
Defence attaches posted in IOR and African countries were asked last year to prepare a set of requirements that could be met through Indian systems, and so far, the most interest has been the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, helicopters and missile systems, according to defence sources.
Based on this interest, India can also look at different financing options, including extended Line of Credits, the sources said.
The defence attaches will promote Indian systems during interactions with their foreign counterparts, and also keep an eye out for possible tenders. This is besides the effort being put in by the Indian private sector.
There are 30 land systems mentioned in the list. Chief among them are the Akash and BrahMos missiles and artillery guns.
India is offering the Akash Air Defence System for defending vulnerable areas and points against penetrating targets at low, medium and high altitude. The Akash missile has an effective range of 3-25 km, and can operate at altitude of 30 m to 18 km.
In the case of the BrahMos cruise missile, even as India works on extending its range, it is offering the 290 km-range missile for export. BrahMos is much sought after by countries like the Philippines and Vietnam.
Among artillery guns, the defence ministry has included the ATAGS and the in-service K-9 Vajra howitzer, apart from the 155mm/52 Caliber towed gun and Garuda 105 lightweight field gun — the latter two manufactured by private firm Bharat Forge.
The list also includes Ashok Leyland military vehicles, mine protected vehicles, combat helmets and vests manufactured by private firm MKU, multi-mode hand grenades and various kinds of ballistic protection.
On the naval front, India has offered to export anti-submarine warfare corvettes made by the state-run Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), apart from various kinds of patrol and interceptor boats and Landing Craft Utility, which are used to transport troops and materiel from ship to shore and vice-versa.
Also on offer are lightweight and heavyweight torpedoes, beside naval 30 mm guns, rocket launchers, coastal surveillance systems and communication and combat management systems for ships.
While the LCA Tejas was already mentioned as being available for export, the DDP list adds the Light Combat Helicopter, which is yet to be ordered for the IAF and the Indian Army. Both services are in the process of placing an order for 15 LCHs, but the numbers will eventually go up.
The list also includes several communication systems.
