Defence ministry to ask pvt players to produce specialist ammunition

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Defence ministry sources said that seven types of ammunition have been identified for procurement from private suppliers as part of ‘Make in India’. This includes specialist ammunition for tanks and artillery guns, GRAD BM-21 charges and electronic fuses; none of them are currently being manufactured in India.

At the hearing on the CAG report with the Parliamentary Accounts Committee in June, the ministry had assured the MPs that barring one item, they are confident of overcoming “critical” level for all types of ammunition by 2016. That assurance was based on the plans to get private suppliers to produce these critical types of ammunition.

“This will create another indigenous source of specialist ammunition for us, over and above ordnance factories and import route. It will help us quickly make up critical deficiencies,” said a defence ministry official.

At least four private firms have expressed interest in producing specialist ammunition in India and are awaiting the issue of RFI. But the proposal has been delayed because private suppliers will need a long-term commitment – of around five years — from the defence ministry to set up production.