As New Delhi focuses on “rooting” the modern defense industry under the “Do in India” policy, there is a clear need to better address inconsistencies in arms procurement programs.
The Indian Army, with 1.2 million troops, has prioritized the acquisition of personal equipment and small arms and has launched various Do in India projects, including ongoing programs for the FICV (Fighting Infantry Combat Vehicle), the forward-looking FRCV (Future Ready Combat Vehicle) and armored vehicles.
The army seeks to transform, modernize and renew itself into a versatile, maneuverable network force capable of operating across the entire spectrum of combat operations. Its overall development concept is to "ensure increased capabilities and combat effectiveness in order to meet current and future challenges."
Already 26 delivery programs are under way on an expedited basis and another 26 projects have been assigned the "urgent" category. A new Indian mantra is now in use: private participation is needed to speed up the procurement process. In an attempt to move away from the outdated approach, Defense Minister Manohar Parikar publicly stated in January: "Do in India is a mindset that requires a lot of teamwork and well-coordinated work of all stakeholders."
Your projects
Security problems are becoming more complex and dynamic, not allowing to mark time, and as a result, another project was launched, which provides for the creation of its own design bureau in the army. Here, apparently, the example of the Indian fleet did not give rest, which received permission to work together with the defense research organization DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization) and military factories. Given the problem of dwindling material resources, this becomes an urgent matter. Here, just as opportunely, I recall the words of the Chief of Staff of the Army Singh Suhag, who said: "For eight years, not a single artillery piece has been put into service."
In the past, the main reason for project delays has been so-called blacklisting. That is, applicants for contracts who were excluded from the list filed complaints with the Ministry of Defense, after which the projects were frozen until the commission of inquiry presented its findings, to which no one listened.
The commission formed to revise the previous course decided that blind exclusion of candidates was at odds with national interests and proposed measures to ensure that the procurement process would not stop if a company was blacklisted. One of the consultants at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants commented on this: "The government has finally realized that blacklists should serve as a minimum, and not be in the order of things."
“A comprehensive assessment of the development needs of the Indian Army, its current status and future missions will take time,” said Brig Singh, Deputy Director of the Infantry Directorate. "It may take three decades for the army to create modern weapons that meet the challenges of the modern day."
While in the medium and long term, efforts are aimed at accelerating procurement plans, in the short term, the emphasis is on modernizing weapons and overcoming acute shortages of equipment. The infantryman must be equipped with light weapons, sights, communication devices and protective equipment.
Leapfrog with vests
Unfortunately, despite decades of military demand, the pace of procurement leaves much to be desired, and the infantry continues to lack lightweight modular body armor. The initial bid for the purchase of 186138 vests was canceled after the General Staff's quality requirements were not met, as technical requirements were changed during the tests.
An "emergency purchase" of 50,000 vests - the Defense Ministry's first major order for them since 2007 - has been approved by Minister Parikar. It is likely that this order will be split between Indian companies Tata Advanced Materials and MKU; in addition, a new order is expected for an additional 185,000 vests.
A spokesman for the Department of Defense said that “After the application is published, we will need to notify the suppliers of the technical requirements for the speed and type of bullet. Lack of transparency in the past has resulted in a lot of wasted time and energy. Fortunately, the new Secretary of Defense is joining the policy of trusting private industry."
MKU has won a contract (yet to be signed) to supply 158,000 helmets to the army. The company is a leading supplier of ballistic protection systems to the countries of Latin America; it includes an efficient R&D unit that has been able to significantly reduce the weight of bulletproof vests. For example, according to MKU, the weight of an ordinary 6, 5-7 kg vest with NIJ Level III protection can be reduced to 6 kg.
Infantry procurement in the medium term (in 10-15 years) will include systems with additional capabilities. This applies to high-precision ammunition, mobility, communications systems and increasing the level of situational awareness. This includes the purchase of wearable / handheld combat control systems with computers and situational awareness.
Long-term plans provide for the integration of all subsystems into a logically completed complex of combat equipment, control centers and information components. “The goal is for a soldier to carry only 12-15 kg of equipment. There are many problems here: reducing the payload, which interferes with the well-coordinated interaction of units, controlling information overload, integrating subsystems and combat training,”said Brig Singh. Procurements at this stage will include biosensors, solar panels, complete ballistic protection, vests, uniforms and exoskeletons.
A 130-mm gun of the Indian army firing during practical firing in the winter of 2016
Small arms failures
In terms of ammunition and explosives, all this for the army is purchased from ten factories of the Ammunition and Explosives Group, which is part of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) concern, and there is a certain balance between local supply and imports. But there are difficulties with small arms. “According to rough estimates, the development cycle of a serial product should take one third of the product's life. This is not happening in India,”said General Yadav, a former director of the defense products department.
Assault rifle tenders have a complicated history. One of the largest tenders included a bid for 65,000 rifles and grenade launchers. The manufacturer that won this tender had to transfer the technology to the OFB concern in order to replace the 5, 56 mm INSAS assault rifle. The new rifle was supposed to have a replaceable barrel for firing ammunition compatible with INSAS and AK-47. The competition was attended by Italian Beretta, American Colt Defense, Israeli Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), Swiss SIG Sauer and Czech Česka Zbrojovka. The application was canceled last year and the DRDO Excalibur rifle is currently being tested. Based on the results of tests in the first quarter of 2016, a final decision should have been made, but so far there have been no statements on this matter.
An application was also issued to replace the outdated melee carbine. As part of the technology transfer, OFB needs to produce about 44,000 pieces. Weapons from Beretta, IWI and Colt were tested. Israel's IWI has been selected as the sole supplier, and state-owned Bharat Electronics (BEL) is likely to be awarded a contract for night sights due to the new Make in India policy, although there is no confirmation of this information.
The inefficiency of the OFB concern has become canonical. An audit conducted by the National Audit Office (CAG) of the production efficiency, practices and built-in management mechanisms associated with organizing the supply of ammunition to the army in the army showed that the OFB concern is using only 70% of its capabilities.
“We found that the availability has declined in recent years … the shortage rate for large caliber critical ammunition climbed to 84% during a five-year audit. The critical shortage has impacted the combat readiness and training of the army,”the CAG report says.
Imports of ammunition as an alternative source of ammunition replenishment proved to be unreasonably slow, as no purchases were made from 2008 to 2013 following nine tenders. Due to constant quality problems, the $ 360 million in ammunition lay unclaimed in warehouses and was ultimately deemed unusable.
Consulting firm Q-Tech Synergy estimates that existing stocks of small arms, such as pistols, revolvers and rifles and ammunition, are nearing the end of their 20-year service life. The growing number of weapons that need to be replaced is approximately three million, with a total cost of about three billion dollars. All this needs to be purchased in the next five years. India's industry can only meet 35% of these needs, although the passage of the Arms Act, a draft of which was published in 2015, will open up opportunities for the private sector, which is currently not allowed to manufacture small arms.
Yadav explains how the army deals with a variety of weapons of different calibers from different suppliers: “We are not able to carry out standardization in India and this creates logistical problems. Project development is slow. " He added that India received the Bofors cannons in 1987, although it had to make them at its own factories. While self-reliance is tied to the procurement of future systems, even the Future Infantry Soldier As a System (F-INSAS) program to be completed by 2027 for 350 infantry battalions is "also lagging behind."
With artillery trouble
According to the plan to modernize the artillery, the Indian army approved the receipt of 814 self-propelled systems at an approximate cost of $ 3 billion, 1,580 towed guns, 100 tracked self-propelled units, 180 wheeled self-propelled units and 145 ultralight howitzers. The plans provide for the rearmament of existing artillery regiments armed with 105-mm Indian field guns, 105-mm light cannons and Russian 122-mm cannons, with new 155-mm towed gun systems in order to simplify and increase the efficiency of logistics.
“The decision-making process on artillery is advancing, and we will still see tangible results. Making artillery modern is a truly difficult task. As the focus shifts towards firepower, surveillance and automation systems will make up 30% of future content from electronics. The purpose of the modernization is to unite into a single network under the dominant slogan “Do in India”,”said General Shankar, head of the artillery department.
Several bids for the purchase of towed ultralight howitzers were unsuccessful. The latest contenders Soltam, Singapore Technologies Kinetics, Rheinmetall and Denel have been blacklisted and India has begun developing its own 155mm / 45 caliber Dhanush howitzer, which is in its final testing phase.
It is an Indian version of the Bofors cannon. Up to 114 systems will be ordered, and the OFB concern will increase the caliber from the original 39 to 45. “We want to be self-sufficient in spare parts, maintenance and overhaul, as well as get technology based on titanium alloys, which is not yet available in India,” Shankar said. … In addition, DRDO is reportedly developing an advanced towed 155mm 52 caliber artillery system to replace Dhanush.
The K9 Vajra-T 155mm / 52 self-propelled tracked self-propelled howitzer, developed by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Nexter for the Indian Ministry of Defense, is ready for serial production. L&T designed the chassis, while Nexter provided the actual weapon system. The vice president of L&T said they faced many challenges: "There is a long period from the publication of the application to its issuance, orders must be placed within six months, test sites and ammunition are required, and all taxes and duties must be paid."
He added that the industry does not want to rely solely on contracts with the Indian government and wants to export its products. “But wherever we go, the Chinese come with their financial initiatives and throw us out. Money is everything nowadays. However, we are optimistic and hope that we will be appreciated."
Last year, the Defense Procurement Board approved the Army's offer to purchase 145 BAE Systems M777 ultralight howitzers for a total of $ 430 million. The deal itself is taking place within the framework of the American programs for the sale of military property to foreign states, and Indian enterprises will supply spare parts, ammunition, and carry out maintenance, which is very important for the army.
The Akash short-range missile entered service with the Indian army last year
Tactical communication
The program on the tactical communication system TCS (Tactical Communication System), which has been postponed at the moment, aims to unite the troops deployed on the battlefield in a single network-centric space. Its implementation will create a modern battle management system, in which commanders at the tactical level will be able to exchange updated data on the situation, geospatial data and maintain communication at the level of battle formations.
"For a project of this magnitude, sometimes state-owned enterprises are more suitable because they are better equipped, they have time and costs under control, and they are historically more stable in order to withstand such a project," said a spokesman for Roland Berger Strategy Consultants.
The Indian consortium BEL / Rolta has been awarded a contract for the implementation of TCS. According to the director of the BEL company, “the consortium is fully prepared to perform the complex task of developing a combat control system”. “We are also striving to maximize the share of local components through the development of various subsystems in the country,” said Managing Director of Rolta India. "Rolta's choice is a direct testament to our investment strategy and the creation of world-class Indian intellectual property."
This intellectual development of the Rolta company is based on the experience of creating automated control systems, which are already in service with various units of the Indian army. As part of the consortium, Rolta will develop software for the battle control system, software for geographic information systems and data processing, as well as deal with licensing. Rolta will also co-manufacture with BEL subsystems, integrate, commission and service the entire system.
FICV program
Currently, in the framework of a public-private partnership between DRDO, the army and Tata Motors, a floating wheeled platform FICV is being developed, which has so far passed sea trials, fire tests and buoyancy tests.
Tata believes that, having successfully demonstrated its capabilities in creating armored vehicles, it can hope to win the FICV project. There are ten applicants for the $ 9 billion FICV project. Again, as part of the “Make in India” mantra, the goal of this program is to replace approximately 1,400 Russian BMPs with 2,600 FICV platforms. According to some estimates, the cost of the program could eventually rise to $ 15 billion.
The deadline for submitting responses to the RFP issued by the Ministry of Defense was 15 February 2016. In line with the Do in India slogan, the ministry granted OFB and two other applicants the right to design and develop the FICV. A letter from the ministry, sent out to ten applicants, states that two private Indian companies will be selected for the competition. The ten applicants include L&T, Tata Power (SED), Mahindra & Mahindra, Bharat Forge, Pipavav Defense, Rolta India, Punj Lloyd and Titagarh Wagons. The request for proposals states that the FICV vehicle should be transported by Il-76 and C-17 military transport aircraft and fire anti-tank guided missiles at a range of up to 4,000 meters.
Medium tank
Another big project on the agenda is the FRCV medium tank, which will replace the outdated T-72 army tanks. To eliminate some confusion, Parikar confirmed in August 2015 that the Indian Army's requirements for a medium tank are not in conflict with the Arjun main battle tank (MBT) program. He added that the FRCV platforms "must meet the future requirements beyond 2027 and should not affect the orders for the Arjun MBT."
The request for information states that there is a need for 2545 FRCV vehicles and, in addition to the medium tank, this platform should become the basis for a modular family of vehicles: tracked MBT (basic version); light tracked tank; light wheeled tank; tank bridgelayer; mine trawl and mine plow. The family also includes a repair and recovery vehicle, a self-propelled artillery unit and an anti-aircraft missile and gun mount. The request for information issued last year calls for design and development in three phases. The army wants to be the first to see the projects presented, of which it will choose two projects that will be paid by the government. The two companies will then be able to compete for a production contract, after which, finally, the best project will be selected and handed over to the Production Agency.
Foreign companies that are likely to take part in the competition include Rafael, General Dynamics and Uralvagonzavod. The terms of the competition provide for the establishment of close cooperation with large Indian companies. In addition, nine more companies will collaborate on technology transfer, including in-house production of the tower, as well as 22 of 34 mobility-related technologies. It is assumed that these will be BAE Systems, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Dynamatic Technologies, as well as local related businesses such as Punj Lloyd, Bharat Forge, Titagarh Wagons and Pipavav Defense.
Companies participating in the FICV project will also be able to compete in parallel for the FRCV platform, as these projects are expected to have some level of commonality across various subsystems, including protection, powertrains, suspension and chassis.
In addition, Tata Motors received a $ 135 million order for 1,239 high-mobility trucks. The locally developed 6x6 wheeled trucks are to be delivered to the Indian Army within two years. Other Buy Indian offerings include an advanced light helicopter, BrahMos missiles, Pinaka multiple launch rocket systems, BMP-2 / 2K upgrades and Arjun MBTs.
1239 trucks will be supplied by Tata Motors to the Indian army
Buy & Make in India offerings include anti-aircraft guns as replacements for existing L / 70 and Zu-23 mounts, a LAMV (Light Armored Mobility Vehicle) light armored vehicle for mechanized units, and mine plows for T-90 tanks. Tata Motors showed a prototype LAMV at Defexpo India in February 2014. Despite the slogan "Buy and Make in India" LAMV was developed with technical assistance from the British company Supacat.
Metallurgical moratorium
“This is the first time the Indian army is negotiating with the private sector on spare parts and services,” General Shankar admitted. "More contributors are welcome, especially in titanium production, which is still in its infancy." Titanium is a light metal and, due to its excellent corrosion resistance and high specific strength, is widely used in the aerospace industry.
"The metallurgical industry was unable to supply normal products that would meet the stringent requirements, and therefore the modernization of the army's engineering corps was very slow," said a spokesman for this corps. “Do in India” does not always bring positive results. Take the Sarvatra bridge system with a span of 75 meters, which consists of five scissor bridges made of aluminum alloy. The bridge with a span of 15 meters is installed on a separate modified chassis of the Tatra 815 VVN 8x8 truck."
“The equipment has to withstand harsh use, and the bridge cracked at the hinges and was returned for revision,” complains a military engineer. - It is sad. After all, bridge guidance systems ensure the mobility of the main forces."
L&T, with the participation of DRDO, is the main manufacturer of the bridge. “We have problems with the supply of local metallurgical plants, the quality is not always good and we have to import billets,” said a L&T spokesman. He added that the gap between the prototype and the final product is too large. The technology becomes obsolete every five years."
There were also problems in the field of mine protection. The military engineer said that "the corps is forced to lay mines by hand." A request for proposals was issued for a minefield system, and following the results of the competition, Bharat Forge was selected as the main supplier, but military tests of this vehicle have not yet begun. In addition, six requests for proposals (three more are pending) have been posted on IED countermeasures, which are currently purchased mainly overseas.
The army intends to purchase the first 50,000 light bulletproof vests for its military personnel who are not spoiled by delights
Air defense
Last year, the local Akash missile entered service with the Indian army. The short-range air-to-ground missile has a maximum range of 25 km and an altitude of 20 km. The share of Indian content in the rocket is 96%. It is touted as a successful project under the Make in India program. The arrival of large quantities of the Barak 8 rocket is expected - a joint development with Israel. It was successfully launched last year.
“The strategy is a balanced combination of surface-to-air missiles and weapon systems, and there is a phased program for that,” General Singh said. - But the main thing is the pace. Although Akash and Barak 8 missiles are included in the Indian army's procurement programs, by and large their deliveries are out of schedule.” He believes that these delays are related to the current policy, whose constraint is the restriction of foreign direct investment to 49%, "which does not provide the investor with significant benefits."
