Public sentiment on India's defense manufacturing initiative is mixed, with a notable divide in opinions. While many express pride and optimism regarding progress made through government initiatives like 'Make in India', concerns about quality, outdated technology, and reliance on foreign imports also prevail. Some commenters emphasize the need for genuine change and innovation, cautioning against overestimating self-reliance while recognizing the importance of strategic partnerships for future growth.

Government of India

Defence Ministry

Private Sector Manufacturers

Public Sector Undertakings

Here is some additional context on the numbers.

https://www.nextias.com/ca/current-affairs/31-12-2024/india-defense-exports

80% of the defence production is still done by public sector companies. (which OP thinks is super inefficient)

60% of the exports is ship related and Myanmar is the biggest importer followed by Sri Lanka.

BannedForFactsAgain

[deleted]

One of the biggest success stories. 

Our next goal should be reducing defense imports by strategically building stuff in-house

berserkgobrrr

One thing no one can fault the BJP government for is pushing for make in India in defence sector while still going for foreign stuff in critical sectors like engine and digital avionics (stopgap measure).

Aryan202602

Commendable work, and deserves all the praise. I hope they don't let it stagnate and work further towards manufacture of technically sophisticated weapons such as Air defense and drones/UAVs which we see are becoming more and more important.

mrpumpkin007

In short,

- Defence production surged 174% since 2014 to Rs 1.27 lakh crore in 2023-24

- 2 defence corridors established in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

- Women officers tripled to over 11,000, 507 got permanent commissions in forces

India was and still is one of the world's largest importers of defense equipment, which isn't a good thing for such a large military in times of war. But it looks like its own domestic defence industry has grown by an unimaginable degree over the last decade and has actually started exporting a lot of weapons and ammunition to other countries.

The credit for this is largely being given to the Modi government because its defense ministers, particularly Manohar Parrikar, have tried to encourage private sector involvement in the sector, unlike the earlier UPA government whose defence minister, AK Antony, was a staunch socialist, who relied only on defence PSUs like HAL and ordinance factories, who are still being criticised by the armed forces for delays or poor-quality products.

1-randomonium

We absolutely need more Missile defense systems. Qualitatively &amp; quantitatively as well. Also please get a 5th Gen aircraft.

CosmicMetalhead

The modi govt has been trash and there is no denying but he has done some commendable work with respect to defence and military equipments but again the military personnels are suffering that is the cuting down of pensions from retired personnels havve been huge.

  
On top of that he has  broughtt in the new agniveer scheme which cuts down the military cost but keeps military personnel ready in case of war.

-bonkster

Good now let's go all out on jet engine and AMCA. The biggest threat india faces is China and they're not stopping anytime soon.

Psychological-Iron81

How much of the production is privatised and public?

meinphirwapasaaagaya

Most of it needs to be pumped back in R&amp;D and more production. This is the nascent stage. But good to see the direction it's taking.

SaintClaWeD

Don't know about you but 1.74x over 11 years is anaemic. You should get more than that from inflation alone.

Tomasulu

how much of this production surge is from private corporations vs PSUs.  

India remains the largest importer of defence equipment , not necessarily due to corruption
also  the 34 fold  increase is due to a small base.

backhodi

#...again, not the flex you think it is, say what you will.

Bhakt badhte jaa rhe ye sab me looking at the comments of the past few posts

profShadow07

Bro, you sound like a walking PIB notification, chill, we’re not in a press conference!

External_Start_5130

How many licks were sacrificed in this post/article?

zazzo5544

Why are we buying from the Angrezs??? Amdani making money and tax payers money are being spent on patake! 

YellaKuttu

How much time it was surged from 2001 to 2014 ? Don't manipulate people. Idiots. Couldn't destroy pakistan and begging here.

Well … you realise how long weapons take to develop and market right? This was the work done by the previous governments (BJP included). Modi as usual is just enjoying the fruits of others work.

TheGalaxial

when you start close to zero - everything looks big. Another Jhumla by indian media owned by modi sponsors or boot lickers

Life_Machine_9694

Yeah we know where all the contracts for building bridges, statues, roads, hospitals, defense, education go to.

rizkreddit

So brainwashed chaddi sarrrr if loans are not the criteria then what it is ..obvisouly IMF is giving more loans cuz we are already paying them ??

docshamzee

Fingers crossed. Should not lead to another delay because France backing out like American GE did and plans with Russia never materillised.

owaisusmani

Hello, u/Matrix-Agent!! Thank you for your submission to r/CriticalThinkingIndia. We appreciate your contribution to our community.

If your submission consists of Photo/Video, then, please provide the source of the same under this comment.

If your submission is a link to an external source, then, please provide a summary of the information provided in that link in the comments.

We hope that you will follow these rules and engage in meaningful discussions.

*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CriticalThinkingIndia) if you have any questions or concerns.*

AutoModerator

https://preview.redd.it/6k4a9ctlfe9f1.jpeg?width=680&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=1bdfc406d7f68c32a6820cca5d3cadbd4ff78999

D_P_R_8055

The main problem is we do not have any domestically manufactured engines. Our tanks, submarines, ships, fighter jets all use foreign engines to power them. 

Even our domestically manufactured weapons have foreign components from many different nations. No country would buy from India when it can order directly from US or Israel. India is like a third party assembler of weapons rather than a producer of it.

Apne hi kamine he, jo log  process ko smooth karna chahiye wohi log leach ke tara baithe he apne hi desh ka progress debate. Zat bhar sa documentation banane jao usme bhi itna ghumaya jata he ki kya hi bole. Sab waste of time ke liye baithe he.

sachin_root

Imaginary-Zombie3554

Did anyone even think about this before 2014?
You need a lot of time, money, patience, technology, research, and real battlefield testing of weapons. It’s a long journey — at least a decade or two from now. Even today, the USA alone accounts for 41% of global arms exports. In comparison, China’s total share is just 5%, and most of its weapons go only to Pakistan almost 60-80 percent. Other countries aren't really interested. If you look at India, it is doing quite good by selling weapons to different countries like Armenia, Philippines , USA, etc. Selling weapons is a tough job and requires a lot of diplomacy.

BuilderNo2921

because untill few years ago we are the biggest importers of defence items and after chinese aggression we too started to realise we should be selling and increase our incomes with our indigenous defence items.

now we are importing less and making our own items , and even selling more and more yearly.

notMy_ReelName

Did you just say defence marketing through social media influencers? ஃபக் மை லைப்.

v_patti_ramasamy

Now HGV will 21 mach speed with 5500+km range will be added in our arsenal in 5 years.

HummingHunter

Rejuvenate_2021

The answer is simple: the top brass' retirement was sponsored by the Soviet Union, and Russia ever since. Defense procurement is wholly corrupt.

That culture has had to change in the last ten years as the country attempts to develop the ability to design and manufacture its own gear. 

It is a smart move, but most all defense manufacturers in India are PSUs, or public sector undertakings. That means that leadership is subject to the government, and its board includes political appointees that may not have required experience.

That patronage helps grow the industry in some ways, but limits its overall potential in other ways -- PSUs do not have to innovate and compete in the market, which helps companies grow sustainably. 

Together, it is two steps forward, one step back, or one forward and one back, if you consider that spending needed to increase more than it did any day in the past three decades. 

India is a good 20 or 30 years behind China, even if spending increase drastically, and that is the bar it needs to meet if the country would like to remain non-aligned. Anything less means that China will continue to flank India where there is conflict.

India's parity is then highly unlikely as it's defense spending will be limited by growth rates -- it needs double digit growth to begin to close the gap. And double digit growth look like it is not happening.

del_snafu

our weapons shine on war with Pakistan. our planes, our missiles, solid show to the world.

Due to Russia's at war and incapacity of industry, we will pass Russia, be in the second place in no time.

Within 20 years, will be TOP 1.

nateguo

Well we didn't export weapons untill BJP came to power...

Square_Influence7551

Global Powerhouse banke kya ukhad na hai ?

CurIns9211

Motor_Instance5278

Only recently has India begun developing weaponry that is competitive with offerings from other nations. These products have very long development times. The GTRE Kaveri has been in the works for decades, and recently the goals for it have pivoted and pulled back. There are some good weapons systems developed locally, but still only meets 65% of needs. Still today, India remains the largest importer of military equipment in sheer dollar amounts. 

While there has been the objective of being self-reliant for military hardware since the 1960s, there haven't been policies to push that agenda until recently (lifting of FDI restrictions, for example). So, just be patient. India has been eyeing the export market for some time, but South Korea has been making pushes into the arena recently as well. I am not sure about Indian laws regarding weapons exports, but SKorean firms cannot legally sell weapons to nations involved in active conflicts, which does leave some gaps that India should push to fill.

CharacterWestern3204

Because of delusion like people in this post.

Purple-Mile4030

This data is wrong. The Chinese DF17 is in top 5 and so is the minuteman and trident. Kinzhal, sarman (satan 2). There is no Indian missile in top 5. Please do not spread wrong info.

PLAYER_PRO123321

Just having fast missiles doesn’t make you a defense powerhouse. What really matters is how accurate, reliable, and battle-proven your systems are — not just their top speed.

India’s made big strides, no doubt, but it still depends on imports for critical stuff like jet engines, radars, and submarine tech. Until we control that end-to-end, it’s hard to compete with countries that do.

Being neutral helps in geopolitics, but buyers still look for trust, proven performance, and long-term support. That’s why they go to the US, Russia, or even France — not just because of price or alignment.

And yeah, defense marketing needs work, but social media campaigns won’t matter if the products don’t back it up. Real power comes from deep R&amp;D, field-tested gear, and delivering when it counts.

vinciverse

Reason 1: The global defence market is dominated by USA and Russia, followed by few other countries like Israel, UK, France etc. Obviously in any market the established players will have the advantage. Emerging countries like China and India have only recently started to break into the market.

Reason 2: Weapons deals are not pure commercial deals made in open market. They are dictated by Politics, regulations and diplomacy. Government restricts whom you can sell the weapons to. Suppose India sells weapons to country A, and later they use it against country B who is our close ally, then it will be very awkward. Illegal black market trading of weapons is also a big problem. You don't want your Brahmos or Nirbhay missile to end up with ISIS or Mexican drug cartels. So the government carefully chooses whom it will sell the weapons too.

Reason 3: Weapons are expensive to own and operate. So the countries carefully choose them to make sure that they work well and are compatible with the existing equipment and are easy to maintain. India being a new player, it takes time to build credibility. Even a single bad incident can damage the supplier's reputation for a long time. Read about what happened when HAL supplied some helicopters to Ecuador. Look at how the stranded F-35 in Thiruvananthapuram Airport is affecting public perception about the reliability of the plane.

None of the above issues are insurmountable. With some good work, India will soon become a significant player in Gobal defense industry.

Thick_tongue6867

Fastest missiles is meaningless, otherwise US would probably dominate that area.

US determined that hypersonic are insanely expensive, big, and hard to control because of excessive heat and plasma interferes with radio signals. What they have now suffices with stealthier missiles.

stockmonkeyking

The Philippines already imports the BrahMos missiles, while Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, UAE and Vietnam have expressed interest in the missile system.

Specky_Scrawny_Git

Firstly it is not an equal comparison you are comparing a HGV to a conventional ICBM, HGV is a very new tech. Also Kinzhal is an air launched ballistic missile (ALBM), which I think India does not have at present. ALBM were meant to keep the strategic bomber fleets from becoming obsolete. That being said it is important to promote and advertise Indian defense tech so that India can counter its strategic adversaries like China. 

The recently concluded Operation Sindoor was a great way to prove the potential of made in India defense tech like BrahMos, Akash teer, and integrated air defense system. BrahMos will definitely have more customer base due to its wonderful performance in recent conflict. But for a BrahMos sale to third party countries India needs to get approval from Russia as well, since it is a 50-50 joint venture. So India cannot sell BrahMos to Russia's adversaries. With how heated Russia-NATO proxy war in ukraine is going it would be difficult to sell BrahMos to any western nation. Greece had shown interest in BrahMos but since Greece is a NATO member, I am not sure if the sales contract go through, even though Greece is not a direct threat to Russia. May be Russia could approve the sale, if there is some other deal making done in terms of some give and take. Personally, I think it is in Russia' strategic interest to have see Greece armed with BrahMos so that it can counter Turkey a strategic challenger to Russia's dominance in the Black sea. 

It is in India's interest to arm Armenia, Cyprus and Greece with BrahMos, to keep Turkey in check. Also India should arm all south china sea countries with BrahMos and Akash teer system to keep china under pressure. I don't think china will permit Russia to allow India to arm Taiwan with BrahMos. China has some leverage over Russia due to the ukraine conflict. But should arm Taiwan with other made in India tech like Akash teer, and other indigenous air defense components. May be arming Taiwan with future tech like AMCA or Tejas 2 if Taiwan needs them should be prioritized. African markets can be a major importers of Indian military tech. 

A lot of work needs to be done in this aspect, also Inda can target EU markets that are on a rearming spree but it needs to done strategically so that India does not upset its Russian friends as well as American friends. By expanding Indian defense export, there will inevitable be a clash with US military industrial complex, so it has to be done strategically like arming nations that view china as their adversaries, so that US does not take too big of an offense. India still needs US as a partner to counter china, it is both India and US' national interest to counter china.

KizaruMus

sagar_-_99

Looks good, I hope it jams like a mofo, could not bear to change my opinion about Indian firearms.

lexforseti

I get that it's a piston gun, so the handguard and upper rail will go higher up. Why on earth does the handguard go so low? 2 rows of horizontal mlok on the same surface is kinda whacky.

Racer_Space

How many gift cards do I have to redeem to buy this one?

TresCeroOdio

**Understand the rules** 

 Check the sidebar. It's full of resources to help you.

 Not everyone is an expert such as yourself; be considerate.

 No Spam. No Memes.
 
 No political posts. Save that for /r/progun or /r/politics.
 
 -------------------------------
 * [ForgottenWeapons.com](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/)
 * [ForgottenWeapons | YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/ForgottenWeapons)
 * [ForgottenWeapons | Utreon](https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/)
 * [ForgottenWeapons | Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons/)
 * [ForgottenWeapons | Merch](https://shop.forgottenweapons.com/)
 * [ForgottenWeapons | FaceBook](https://www.facebook.com/ForgottenWeapons)
 * [ForgottenWeapons | Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/forgottenweapons/)  
 * [HeadStamp Publishing](https://www.headstamppublishing.com/)
 * [Waponsandwar.tv](https://weaponsandwar.tv)    
 -------------------------------
 
 
 


*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ForgottenWeapons) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Correction:- M72 has short stroke gas piston like AR18.

Brilliant_Bell_1708

Yottah

new calibers are just ways to trick people into buying new guns.

justaheatattack

UpbeatCollection7392

We are moving in the right direction, let private players handle R&amp;D and manufacturing while the government controls and regulates. That’s how it works in the West too.

PSUs, plagued by reservation and corruption, simply can't match the speed or quality. We’ve wasted decades waiting on them.

NoMedicine3572

Interesting, 
this will really help us in growing our defence faster . Govt involvement makes the process slower and we need to really ramp up our defence sector to reduce dependency on foreign countries.

The Indian government is promoting locally manufactured arms as part of the 'Make in India' initiative, advancing defense production.

India's Defence Manufacturing and Acquisition

Why This Matters

Public Sentiment Summary

Highlighted Comments

Parties Involved

What the people want