A Truly Bizarre List

The Indian Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) ‘Embargo List of Defence Weapons/Platforms’ that was released on August 9, 2020, is one of the most bizarre types of documentation ever to emerge from the MoD. After browsing through it, one does not know whether to laugh or cry, or whether the drafters of such documentation are both beyond hope and beyond despair. It is being claimed that the decision to impose an embargo on 101 imported items between 2020 and 2024, and the creation of a separate budget for domestic capital procurement of nearly Rs.52,000 crore for the current financial year will provide a major boost to the indigenous military-industrial sector. It is also being claimed that this would open up new avenues for the India’s home-grown military-industrial sector as contracts worth Rs.400,000 crore would be given to equipment manufacturers within the next seven years. Of these, items worth almost Rs,130,000 crore each are likely for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force, while items worth almost Rs.140,000 crore are expected by the Indian Navy. Incidentally, almost 260 schemes of such items were imported by the three armed services at an approximate cost of Rs.3.5 lakh crore between April 2015 and August 2020. But as they say, the devil always lurks within the detail, and hence let us highlight the details for each of the 101 items:

1. 120mm FSAPDS Mk.2 Ammunition.

What about the 120mm HESH and thermobaric projectiles, plus the cannon-launched guided-missile (CLGM?

2. 7.62 x 51 Sniper Rifle.

Will that be the OFB-developed product, or will the requirement be met by competitive evaluations of offers from various vendors that are offering not homegrown, but licence-built solutions developed abroad?

3. Tracked Self Propelled (SP) Gun (155mm x 52-cal).

Exactly what is the percentage of indigenous material content of the Hanwha/Larsen & Toubro K-9 Vajra 155mm/52-cal tracked SPH?

4. Towed Artillery Gun (155mm x 52-cal).

Exactly what is the percentage of indigenous material content of the ATAGS 155mm/52-cal towed howitzer that has been designed by the DRDO?

5. Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (Land variant).

If this is the QR-SAM, what then is the percentage of indigenous material content? Will the complete weapon system be produced entirely by Bharat Dynamics Ltd and Bharat Electronics Ltd?

6. Shipborne Cruise Missiles.

Will these comprise only BrahMos-1 and BrahMos-NG missiles? What about those missiles that are to be launched by shipborne NMRHs and NLUHs?

7. Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) (Pinaka Variant).

What will be the import content of the terminal guidance component of the 124mm rockets?

8. Simulators Presenting Smart Ranges And Multi-Function Targets.

9. Battalion Support Weapons Simulators.

10. Container-based Simulators for Live-Fire Training.

11. Tailor-made Simulators for Counter Insurgency (CI)/Counter Terrorism (CT) Training.

12. Force-on-Force Live Tactical Simulators/Infantry Weapon.

13. Tank Simulators (driving, as well as, crew gunnery).

All of the above have been procured from local OEMs since the previous decade and none of them are being imported anymore.

14. 155mm/39-cal Ultra-Light Howitzer.

Which is the system being referred to here? The M777 towed UFH, or the Mounted Gun System (MGS) variant?

15. Successor of Flycatcher & Upgraded Super Fledermaus (USFM)/Air Defence Fire Control Radar (ADFCR).

The ADFCR is in any case an integral component of the QR-SAM system.

16. Component-Level Repair Facility for Tank T-90S.

Why was this not indigenised even 19 years after the service-induction of the T-90S MBTs?

17. Shipborne Close-in Weapon System.

The AK-630M CIWS has been licence-built by OFB for the past 15 years, but its Vympel MR-123) fire-control radars and control consoles (developed by the Tula-based KBP Instrument Design Bureau continue to be imported from Russia’s JSC Tulamashzavod.

18. Bullet Proof Jackets.

19. Ballistic Helmets.

Are the Boron-based raw materials used by these two items also being sourced locally? Or do they continue being imported from China?

20. Guided-Missile Destroyers (DDG).

Exactly what is the percentage of import content in material terms on board each of the Project 15, Project 15A and Project 15B DDGs? Have their armaments suite and propulsion systems been indigenised?

21. Multi-Purpose Vessel.

23. Next Generation Missile Vessel.

24. Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft.

25. Water Jet Fast Attack Craft.

26. Ammunition Barges.

27. 50-ton Bollard-Pull Tugs.

28. Survey Vessels.

29. Floating Dock.

30. Diving Support Vessels.

31. Pollution Control Vessels.

Why are guided-missile frigates, new-generation corvettes, Landing Platform Docks (LPD) and GRP-hulled minehunters (MCMV) missing from this list? Is it because they will be imported, like the two Project 1135.6 Batch-3 FFGs from Russia’s Yantar Shipyard and another two to be licence-built by Goa Shipyard Ltd? Has the MoD shelved the procurement of NGCs, LPDs and MCMVs?

32. Anti-Submarine Rocket Launchers.

These are the Larsen & Toubro-built equivalents of the RBU-6000 launchers that have been in production since the previous decade itself.

33. Shipborne Medium-Range Gun.

Both 76/62 SRGM and 127mm naval guns continue to be imported from Italy’s OTOBreda and BAE Systems, and no R & D work is underway anywhere in India for coming up with indigenous solutions.

34. Torpedo Tube Launcher for Lightweight Torpedoes.

In case the MoD is unaware, Larsen & Toubro has already designed and developed 533mm (21-inch) tube-launchers for heavyweight torpedoes (HWT) for both warships and submarines that are already operational with the Indian Navy.

35. Magneto-Rheological Anti Vibration Mounts.

36. All variants of Depth Charges.

37. Shipborne Sonar System for Large Ships.

38. Hull-Mounted Submarine Sonar.

These are the HUMSA and USHUS family of sonar suites. But what about heli-borne low-frequency dunking sonars like the MIHIR LFDS? Has the Indian Navy rejected it?

39. Short Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft.

These are the HAL-built Dornier Do-228 STOL turboprops.

40. Anti-Submarine Rocket.

What about the Varunastra autonomous 533mm HWT? Why is it missing from the list?

41. Chaff Rockets.

42. Chaff Rocket Launcher.

This refers to the DRDO-developed and OFB-built Kavach.

43. Integrated Ship’s Bridge System.

Which types of warships to date have been equipped with integrated bridge systems and related marine navigation radars and ECDIS digital navigation chart display systems? Presently, both of the latter two are bei8ng imported.

44. Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk.IA-Enhanced Indigenised Content.

Critical systems like its F404-GE-IN20 turbofan, TARGO HMDS, EL/M-2052 AESA-MMR and EL/L-8222 ASPJ pod will be fully imported from abroad.

45. Light Combat Helicopters.

The presently available weapons suite of the LCH, comprising the THL-20 cannon from France’s NEXTER Systems, and 70mm unguided rockets from THALES Belgium, are all imported. In addition, all the resins that are co-cured into composites-based structures inside autoclaves, continue to be i8mported by HAL for the ALH, LCH, LUH and the Tejas family of L-MRCAs.

46. General Purpose Pre-Fragmentation Bombs between 250-500Kg.

These are all licence-built by OFB and belong to Russia’s OFAB family of bombs.

47. Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) for Transport Aircraft.

What about RWRs for combat aircraft and helicopters?

48. Ground-Based Mobile ELINT System.

These were developed for the Samyukta and Him Shakti projects of the Indian Army (under Project SAMISHTI) and Project HIMRAJ of the IAF.

49. Transport Aircraft (Light).

This refers to the Dornier Do-228 STOL transport, whose Honeywell TPE331 turboshaft engines and Hartzell four-bladed propellers continue to be imported. The glass cockpit cockpit avionics suite of the HAL-upgraded Do-228 comes from US-based Genesys Aerosystems.

50. GSAT-6 Satellite Terminals.

51. Aerial Delivery Systems for Transport Aircraft.

52. Digital Tropo-Scatter/LOS Communication System.

53. Low-Level Transportable Radar.

54. High-Power Radar (HPR).

What about medium-power radars (MPR) like the Army ADTCR, which has been developed for as a successor to the existing Indian Doppler Radar (INDRA) and P-19 radars? Will their imports continue? If so, then what is the future of the Arudhra & Ashwini S-band AESA MPRs?

55. CBRN Detection & Monitoring System.

56. CBRN Decontamination & Protection System.

57. Parachute Tactical Assault (PTA) G2.

58. Dragunov Upgrade System.

59. PKMG Upgrade System.

60. Simulators for A Vehicles/B Vehicles.

61. Simulators for Towed and Self-Propelled Guns of Air Defence.

62. Simulators for Correction of Fire by Observers.

63. Military trucks of 4 x 4 and above variants: 12 x 12, 10 x 10, 8 x 8, 6 x 6.

All these were indigenised way back in the previous decade itself and have already been service-inducted.

64. Fixed-Wing Mini-UAVs.

A joint venture between India’s Cyient and Israel’s BlueBird Aero Systems is already providing SpyLite mini-UAVs to the Indian Army, while the only mini-UAV to be supplied by an Indian company is the Aquilon from TATA Advanced Systems Ltd. However, most of the UAVs being proposed by TATA have been designed by a Slovenian OEM.

65. 500-Ton Self-Propelled Water Barges.

66. Software Defined Radio (TAC) for IN.

What about SDRs for the Indian Air Force and Indian Army? The latter has already begun importing SDRs from RAFAEL of Israel.

67. Next-Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Battery (Long-Range).

This will be the BrahMos-1.

68. Advance Landing Ground Communication Terminals (ALGCT) for ALGs.

This is coming from Bharat Electronics Ltd.

69. Field Artillery Tractor (FAT) 6 x 6 for Medium Guns.

This is coming from Ashok Leyland. But are their engines and gearboxes imported?

70. Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV).

The DRDO-TATA-developed Kestrel is still in the process of being refined to suit the terrain and weather conditions of the North East and Ladakh, with work expected to be completed only by 2024.

71. Light Machine Gun.

This is the 7.62 x 51 solution developed by OFB with linked ammunition feed.

72. 125mm FSAPDS.

This refers to the Russian 3BM42 round licence-built by OFB.

73. Assault Rifle 7.62 x 39.

This is the AK-203 SLR.

74. 30mm Ammunition for Infantry Fighting Systems.

75. Mine Fragmentation.

76. Mine Anti-tank.

77. Mine Anti-Personnel Blast.

78. Multipurpose Grenade.

These have been under production by OFB for the past few decades.

79. Inertial Navigation System for Ship Application.

Which foreign OEM is supplying the ring-laser gyros for the INS? Till to date, all RLG-INS requirements have been met through imports, i.e. SAFRAN’s SIGMA-95N for all combat aircraft, SIGMA-30 for the Pinaka-1/-2 MBRLs, SIGMA-40 for warships and submarines, and TAMAM of Israel’s RLG-INS for the BrahMos-1/BrahMos-A and Nirbhay cruise missiles.

80. Conventional Submarines.

Does this mean that the SSKs to be acquired under Project 75I will be of as homegrown design? Or will the design be imported and the SSKs be licence-built?

81. 40mm UBGL (Under Barrel Grenade Launcher).

These have already been under series-production by OFB since the previous decade.

82. Lightweight Rocket Launcher.

83. 155mm Artillery Ammunition.

These have already been under series-production by OFB since the previous decade. But the OFB has yet to produce 155mm cargo rounds.

84. EW Systems.

Only for warships (like the Shakti, Nayan and Tushar) and airborne platforms (Sarvadhari, Sarang, Sarakshi and Nikash) and the D-29 EW suite for the IAF’s MiG-29UPGs. For all the rest, imports are still ongoing.

85. Material Handling Crane 2.5 to 7.5 Tons (Vehicle Mounted).

86. GRAD BM-21 Rocket.

87. 30MM HEI/HET.

88. Astra Mk.1 BVRAAM.

89. EW Suit for Mi-17V5.

90. Communication Satellite GSAT-7C.

91. Satellite GSAT-7R.

For several critical components, imports continue.

92. Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA).

Its engines, propellers and glass cockpit avionics suite will be of imported origin.

93. Expendable Aerial Targets.

Imports of Banshee family of aerial targets continue till this day and will continue.

94. Small Jet Engines with 120kgf thrust.

While the GTRE-developed MANIK turbofan has yet to see the light of day, the Kalyani Group has decided to enter the fray and offer alternate solutions.

95 Light Low-Level Lightweight Radar (LLLWR).

This refers to the Bharani and Aslesha family of radars.

96. Close-in Weapon System (Land based).

This refers to a foreign design that will be licence-built in-country by the chosen winner of a competitive evaluations process now underway.

97. 23mm ZU Ammunition.

98. 30mm VOG-17.

Such ammunition has been required in large numbers since the mid-1980s, but for mysterious, they were never licence-produced by the OFB.

99. Electronic Fuses for Artillery Ammunition.

By nomination, BEL was selected to licence-assemble such fuses that originated from REUTECH of South Africa and RESHEF of Israel.

100. Bi-Modular Charge System (BMCS).

HEMRL has already indigenised such BMCS modules, but series-production in large numbers is still awaited from OFB’s Nalanda-based factory.

101. Long-Range Land-Attack Cruise Missile.

This variant of the Nirbhay cruise missile still awaits the definitive turbofan.

Significantly, the list does not include items like the HAL-developed single-engined LUH, wire-guided version of the Varunastra HWT, night-vision devices, the DRDO-developed MPATGM, the Bharat Dynamics Ltd-developed AMOGHA-3 ATGM, the NAG and HELINA anti-armour guided-missiles, the Bharat-52 155mm/52-cal MGS, PG-HSLD, SAAW, NG-LGB, heavyweight MBT, MALE-UAV, the TAL lightweight torpedo, etc etc.

The most glaring omission, however, is in the arena of habitat-/survivability-related hardware/gear required for usage in high-altitude mountainous terrain and high-altitude plateaux—which can only be developed India and nowhere else since India and Pakistan are the only two countries whose armies are deployed in such areas. Between 1984 and 2018, the MoD spent more than Rs.7,500 crore in procuring special clothing and mountaineering equipment for soldiers posted in high-altitude areas. Presently, High Altitude Visibility Clothing Extreme Cold Climate (HAVC-ECC) accounts for the majority share, with 44% of the total share of requirements that comprise bulletproof jackets, CBRN suits, and fire-retardant apparel. Around 55 items are issued under the Super High Altitude (SHA) clothing category and these in turn are divided into two categories: Category-1 for personal use (20 items) and Category-2' for general-purpose items (35 items). Of these, 22 are one-time issue items, such as a down-jacket or sleeping bag, issued to an individual soldier and not recycled thereafter. Of these, nine items are imported. The balance 33 are unit-issued items, such as special tents and ice axes and of these, 11 items are imported. Interestingly, these are mostly made in China, although they are supplied by around a dozen foreign firms located in the US, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Norway and the UK. The HAVC-ECC equipment comprises 55 items like jacket and windcheater, waist coat, trousers, glacier cap, rappelling gloves and glacier gloves, rucksack, special socks, thermal insoles, snow goggles and High-Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPO) bag for soldiers deployed in Siachen, Drass, Kargil, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. These in turn are divided into two categories--the first lot for those deployed in the range of 9,000 feet to 12,000 feet, and the second category for those guarding the border beyond the heights of 12,000 feet.

Typical characteristics of high-altitude clothing are: Hydrophilic-Waterproof and moisture-resistant, usage of breathable membrane made of Poly Utherane, Abrasion resistance, and Maintenance of high integrity. The gear typically weighs 10kg. The material used for such clothing is typically a hydrophilic polyurethane coating or PTFE coating, or Gore-Tex coating or Sympatex coating. The hydrophilic properties are obtained by coatings of laminates or micro-porous. The inner-jacket is usually made of fleece, while the rest of the items is 100% polyester. Specifications of such products include: jackets that are 2.4kg in weight and made of fleece and polyester, having waterproof coatings and a thermal vest; trousers usually 1.2kg in weight again made of 100% polyester. However, most of the HAVC-ECC clothing being used by Indian Army do not meet the above-mentioned characteristics and are rather cumbersome, since the jackets and trousers in use are very bulky, thereby restricting the freedom of movement of the troops making use of equipment like radio sets, and making the carriage of personnel loads difficult. These bulky suits have to be worn to withstand extreme cold, but they affect operations like long-range patrolling in knee-deep snow, as soldiers get bogged down by the weight of their equipment, including rucksacks carrying sleeping bags, rations and ammunition. Moreover, soldiers have to remove the entire suit after returning to their bases, thereby making the process cumbersome and time-consuming. Further, it does not offer weather-proofing from rain and snow. The snow-boots being made of rubber do not offer good grip in slush or snow. In addition there is the lack of air-circulation in the feet.

India has been importing HAVC-ECC clothing since the early 1980s in large numbers at high costs year after year. Presently, about 50% of the requirements are met through imports. As per official data, India spends around Rs.800 crore annually in imports of Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) and mountaineering kits. Items that are imported include woolen socks, rucksacks and sleeping bags. These include 'outer shell parka” and the `fibre-pile pant' from Finland (Rs 14,174 each), Swiss down-jacket from Black Diamond Company (Rs.9,093), Italian MP Scarpa boots (Rs.6,990) and French boot cramp-ons (Rs.6,990). Other basic gear like ice-axes, shovels, boot cramp-ons, Stromeyer tents and the like are also being imported. The Swiss gear helps troops in weather conditions where the temperature falls below -50 degrees Celsius. The clothing provided is three-layered ECWCS and costs Rs.35,000 each. The Indian Army bought around 42,000 suits for troops stationed in Siachen, Kargil, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Ladakh in 2018. The annual requirement of HAVC-ECC clothing and equipment is around 27,000 sets and is expected to increase to 38,229 sets. Further, the Inhdian Army maintains a reserve for another year's requirement. Thus, the average shortfall of items is about 10% every year, which is replenished from the reserves.

A CAG report that covered the period from 2015-16 to 2017-18, bought out facts that the troops deployed at high-altitude areas are given old versions of face-masks, jackets and sleeping bags. Citing an example, the CAG report mentioned that the stock level of 'Goggle All-Terrain' an ECC & E item used to protect soldiers from visionary ailments at high altitudes was critically low. So much so that when demand was raised for 750 snow-goggles for the issue to a unit of soldiers on its arrival in a high-altitude area, they simply could not be provided for. As of June 2016, June 2017 and June 2018, the total stock of ‘Goggles All-Terrain’ ranged from just 5.6% to 16.07% against the total authorisation, rendering the stock critically low due to poor supply. To be noted is that it takes around Rs.1 lakh to clothe a single soldier for the Siachen heights, the world’s highest battlefield, which ranges from 16,000 feet to 22,000-feet. In the personal kit, the soldiers have been provided with multi-layered extreme winter clothing worth Rs.28,000 each along with a special sleeping bag that costs around Rs.13,000. The down-jacket and the special gloves together costs around Rs.14,000, while the multipurpose shoes cost around Rs.12,500. The equipment provided to the troops includes an oxygen cylinder that costs around Rs.50,000 per piece.

The Indian Army first mooted the idea of indigenous production of the high-altitude clothing and equipment around 12 years ago. It is aiming at saving nearly Rs.300 crore annually by indigenous production of these items which are, at present, sourced from countries like the US, Australia, Canada and Switzerland. It is estimated that by procuring India-produced clothing gear, the country will be able to save around Rs.2.5 crore every six months. However, till date most of the items are being imported and are facing requirement deficiencies even for basic high-altitude clothing items of regular use where no high-end technology is warranted. One of the major reasons for this state of affairs is that the OFB is not able to meet the total requirements and also the products developed by the DRDO are mostly sub-standard and of course, non-involvement of the private sector. Though few private-sector entities like TATA Advanced Materials Ltd, Shri Lakhsmi, Shiva Texyarn, National Textile Corporation, Sara Sae, Key Tent, Sabre Safety Ltd and Cotsyn Defence have started production of such clothing, these are still in the pilot phases of user-evaluations. Under the ‘Make in India’ initiative, there is thus a strong need to to locally develop and produce HAVC-ECC gear like snow goggles, ice axe, boots, thermal insoles, avalanche victim detectors, rock pitons, and sleeping bags.