Pursuant to the push for indigenisation in the budget announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last month, the Defence Ministry has identified 18 major platforms which will be designed and developed by the industry through various routes. The Ministry said on Friday that crucial technologies like Hypersonic Glide Vehicle, naval shipborne Unmanned Aerical Systems, light weight tanks, 127mm naval guns, 127 mm guided projectile, standoff airborne jammer, will be some of the technologies that the ministry will get under Make 1, funded mostly by the government. Under the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020, projects involving design and development of equipment, systems, major platforms or upgrades by the industry can be taken up under Make-I sub, as per which the Defence Ministry will provide financial support up to 70 per cent of total cost of prototype development. Under the Special Purpose Vehicle model, “private industry will be encouraged to take up design and development of military platforms and equipment in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and other organisations” for long Range Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) [High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE)] and Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH). The government will encourage start-ups, and MSMEs involved in high-end innovation to work on Low Orbit Pseudo Satellites.
