Budget not adequate but focus on indigenisation: Navy

NEW DELHI: While the budgetary allocation for modernisation is not sufficient, the Navy is focused on an indigenisation drive where it sees the private sector playing a major role, especially in developing and producing weapon systems for warships, a top Navy officer has said.

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Vice-Chief of Navy Staff, Vice--Admiral P Murugesan set a 90% self-reliance target for warship building but cautioned that while Invernment will take this into consideration,” Murugsan, who was speaking at a FICCI curtain raiser for an upcoming conference on a future ready Navy said.

Making the case for great private sector participation, the vice-chief said that at present, India meets only 25-30% of its fight category needs — weapons and sensors — through domestic sources and this is the focus area for greater indigenisation.

The only concern of the Navy from the domestic shipbuilding sector, the officer said, was timely delivery. “A warship in any country shows its industrial capability.

Today we can produce destroyers and frigates no less than any other destroyer and frigate, and it is much cheaper. Timeline is where we need to make change,”Murugesan said, adding that 46 percent of the recently cleared P 17 A frigates to be build by government shipyards will be outsourced to Indian vendors.

On the much anticipated Project 75 India submarine program to acquire six new boats, the officer said that the Navy is waiting for the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) to roll out.