India’s bid to make weapons locally risks leaving it exposed to China, Pakistan threats

India could fall short of helicopters and fighter jets in the coming years after Prime Minister Modi blocked imports to boost local defence industry and generate jobs

With the plan stumbling, officials say a weaker air force means the country will need twice the number of troops on the ground to deter aggression along China’s border

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Indian soldiers demonstrate positioning of a Bofors gun near the border with China. File photo: AFP

Published: 10:27am, 8 Sep 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push to boost domestic manufacturing of defence systems is leaving India vulnerable to persistent threats from China and Pakistan, according to officials with knowledge of the matter.

India’s air force, army, and navy can no longer import some critical weapons systems to replace ageing ones, the officials said. That risks leaving India critically short of helicopters by 2026 and with a shortfall of hundreds of fighter jets by 2030, they said.

Soon after sweeping to power in 2014, Modi unveiled his “Make in India” policy to build everything from mobile phones to fighter jets in India to generate jobs and reduce outflows of foreign exchange. But eight years later the world’s biggest importer of military hardware still doesn’t manufacture enough weapons locally to meet its needs – and government rules are blocking imports.

Modi’s programme mandates between 30 per cent to 60 per cent of home-made components, depending on the nature of the military purchase or where it’s bought from. There were no such caps earlier and India used a system of ploughing back a certain percentage of the cost of the purchase into domestic manufacturing.

As things stand, India’s military readiness is set to further deteriorate just as it faces greater risks from Pakistan and China, which has soldiers deployed toe-to-toe against troops from India along their Himalayan border following deadly clashes in 2020. The weaker air force in particular means India will need twice the number of soldiers on the ground to deter aggression along the Chinese border, one person said.