Now Reading: Bharat Forge, Tata, Solar Industries in fray for Navy’s Rs 18,000 crore munition project
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Bharat Forge, Tata, Solar Industries in fray for Navy’s Rs 18,000 crore munition project
Bharat Forge, Tata, Solar Industries in fray for Navy’s Rs 18,000 crore munition project
The Defence Ministry has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for a ship-launched loitering munition system for the Indian Navy, sources told NDTV. The proposed procurement could be worth Rs 15,000-18,000 crore.…
The Story in Brief
The Defence Ministry has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for a ship-launched loitering munition system for the Indian Navy, sources told NDTV. The proposed procurement could be worth Rs 15,000-18,000 crore. Potential contenders include Solar Industries, Nibe, Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems.
The system is expected to have a range of at least 1,000 km, loiter for nine hours, and cruise at over 75 knots with an attack speed above 200 knots. It will target maritime and land-based objectives using an electro-optical/infrared seeker. The procurement focuses on Indian industry, aligning with the government's push for indigenous defence manufacturing.
The Indian Opinion
The Rs 18,000 crore figure is a promise of self-reliance, but the real test is whether Indian firms can deliver a 1,000-km range loitering munition without foreign critical subsystems. Past Make in India projects have often ended up assembling imported components. Watch for the RFI responses: if bidders propose off-the-shelf foreign designs, the narrative of indigenisation is hollow. The question is not who wins, but how many parts are made in India.
Sources (2): ndtvprofit.com, ndtvprofit.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
