Def exports: Let’s ‘buy Indian’ ourselves first

Def exports: Let’s ‘buy Indian’ ourselves first

Buoyed by a recent spurt in defence-related exports, the Modi government has set ambitious targets for overseas sales by the Indian military-industrial sector over subsequent few years. Specifically, it's been proposed that 25% of the annual turnover of every Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) and therefore the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) should come from exports by 2022-23, whilst the private sector is being encouraged to spice up defence exports. The overarching theme is for India to become a ‘net exporter’ of defence items by the mid-2020s. While such a goal is commendable, given India’s got to sustain influence with its partners and to get better economies of scale, it can't be sustainably achieved without India’s own military placing timely orders for indigenous equipment that have export potential. Moreover, weapons that don't find favour with the domestic military usually don’t find buyers within the international market either. The draft ‘Defence Production…