Defence Industries in India

Progress Towards Self-Sufficiency

Since the attainment of freedom, India has made considerable progress in Defence Industries which were till then, merely an adjunct of British war potential. The Ordnance Factories that were left to India as a legacy of alien rule had been manufacturing only minor equipment for which the main components were imported from Britain. India had to depend on foreign technicians to keep her machines working as she did not possess even the drawings or designs for whatever was manufactured here.

There was a slight increase in Defence production during the last war when some new factories were added to the seven or eight existing ones. After the cessation of hostilities, however, these factories were left with very little work.

India, who had to build her defence industry on these remnants, realised from the very start that self-sufficiency in the production of arms and ammunition should be the goal. During the past seven years, she has made steady strides in this direction.

This goal of self-sufficiency, however, does not overstep the demands of our Defence policy which confines the role of our Armed Forces to that of defence against aggression only. We are not joining any armament race nor do we have any aggressive designs. Our requirements in defence equipment are, therefore, circumscribed by the extent of danger from outside that we might expect.

Paucity of funds is another limiting factor. Large sums of money are being spent on national projects essential for the country's development and cannot be made available for defence industry to fulfill all our requirements.

In spite of these limitations, India's defence industry has registered a marked development and some new defence factories and institutions have been set up in recent years.

The Machine Tool Prototype Factory at Ambernath was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Sri Jawaharlal Nehru, on January 13, 1953. It is the first significant institution for the development of new weapons and equipment and, at the same time, for providing the Ordnance Factories with machine tools. A large number of machine tools is required annually by the Ordnance Factories. Besides, in times of emergency, it will be necessary to step up production in Ordnance Factories and for this purpose more machine tools will be needed. India then, will not have to look to other countries for the supply of machine tools.

For production of weapons equipment and tools, trained technicians are required and for this purpose an Artisan Training School has been set up as an adjunct to the factory. The school is expected to meet the requirements in trained personnel, not only of the Ambernath Factory but also of other factories. The first batch of 83 trainees has already completed the three-year course at the school. The second and third batches are now under training.

Another important Defence Factory is the Hindustan Aircraft Limited, Bangalore. It has made a distinct contribution in the shape of the newly designed trainer aircraft HT-2. The aircraft has been thoroughly tested and found satisfactory for training purposes. After the operational tests which are being carried out, the factory will start production both for the Air Force and for civil demands. Vampires assembled in the factory are already being used by the I.A.F. An advanced trainer aircraft is also under manufacture. Efforts are being made to make aero-engines and other components of aircraft also. Here too, as in other fields, self-sufficiency is the goal.

Bharat Electronics Limited will go into production at Bangalore in 1956. The estimated cost of this factory, which will produce wireless and electronic equipment for the Armed Forces and other Government departments is Rs. 9.5 crores, including Rs. 2.5 crores as working capital.