Friday, 17 May, 2024
By: Yash Gupte
Only Made-in-India weapon systems were displayed at the parade on Kartavya Path on Thursday for the 74th Republic Day. Image Source: IANS
As the government continues to promote its Make-in-India strategy, the historic artillery with 25-pounder cannons that had previously fired the ceremonial 21-Gun Salute during Republic Day celebrations have been replaced by 105 mm Indian field guns.
For the first time, a made-in-India howitzer gun was part of the 21-gun salute during the Republic Day celebrations at the Kartavya Path in New Delhi on Thursday. Only Made-in-India weapon systems were displayed at the parade on Kartavya Path on Thursday for the 74th Republic Day, including the 21 Gun Salute through 105 mm Indian Field Guns, the recently introduced LCH Prachand, the K-9 Vajra howitzers, the MBT Arjun, Nag anti-tank guided missiles, Akash air defence missiles, and the Quick Reaction Fighting Vehicles. As the government continues to promote its Make-in-India strategy, the historic artillery with 25-pounder cannons that had previously fired the ceremonial 21-Gun Salute during Republic Day celebrations have been replaced by 105 mm Indian field guns.
Chief of Staff Delhi Area Maj Gen Bhavnish Kumar said, “Since the 105-mm Indian Field Gun is an indigenised gun, so we want to use this to replace the 25-pounder guns used earlier for the 21-Gun Salute. And, it is a matter of pride that we are showcasing our indigenous gun for this too.”
The Indian Field Guns were designed and developed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in 1972. They were produced in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh by the Gun Carriage Factory and the Field Gun Factory in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh and have been in service since 1984.
The Government of India has been focusing on making India a ‘defence exporting nation’ rather than a ‘defence importing nation.’ This was not only visible through the use of indigenous 105 mm howitzer at the Republic Day celebrations but also through the use of Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) at the Independence Day Celebrations at the Red Fort in 2022. As part of the Indian Army's artillery modernisation programme, the DRDO has taken over the development of the new generation of weapons. Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune, Maharashtra is the nodal laboratory of DRDO for design and development of ATAG along with other laboratories of the defence body.
The defence manufacturing sector has seen some major developments, investments and support from the government in the recent past. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) granted Acceptance of Necessity (AON) to capital acquisition bids totaling Rs. 7,965 crore ($1.07 billion) for the modernisation and operational needs of the armed services in November 2021, supporting the "Make in India" drive. The government is focusing on making India an export country in the field of defence. Considering the increasing security risks India is facing, the defence manufacturing sector is expected to experience significant expansion. This will increase demand for defence technology. Incentivised by various government reforms, India is quickly ramping up its manufacturing capacity. The Ministry of Defence has been focusing on boosting up the defence production in India in different ways. The chart below shows the defence production in India from 2016 to 2022.
Source: IBEF
The defence production in India was at an all-time high during 2017-18 at $12.2 Billion. There was a decline in the defence production in 2018-19 and 2019-20. One of the major reasons was the covid-19 pandemic which resulted in the nationwide lockdown for a long period of time and also the disruption in supply chains. But the government once again ramped up its efforts to increase the defence production in India as this is evident from the figures of 2020-21. The defence production increased to $10.9 Billion in the year 2020-21 and it ascended to $11.85 Billion in 2021-22.
In an effort to boost the defense sector and increase the infusion of FDI, the government in September 2020 revised the regulations and permitted FDI under the automatic route up to 74 percent and 100 percent through the government route in any area, where it is likely to provide access to contemporary technologies. The Defence ministry has projected defence production worth $25 Billion by 2025. Private defence manufacturing companies, in particular defence equipment manufacturing companies in India, have benefited from this initiative as it created greater demand opportunities. These reforms are helping to meet the Atmanirbhar Bharat objectives and also tend to establish India as a defence equipment exporting country in the world.
