Reliance Defence seeks 16 more Industrial Licences

NEW DELHI: Reliance Defence, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Infra, has applied for additional 16 Industrial Licences covering a spectrum of land and naval systems.

The new licences applied for are for manufacturing of heavy weapons, ammunition, explosives, missiles, small arms, electronic warfare, radars, armoured and amphibious vehicles, unmanned Systems and Command, Control, Communications & Computers Integrated Systems (C4IS).

They will be manufactured at new facilities which are to come up in Gujarat and Maharashtra in a phased manner, defence sources said.

The licences will enable Reliance Defence to bid for varying requirements of the Indian Armed Forces starting from small arms to missile systems and combat aircraft, the sources said.

In all, with 28 licences in place, the manufacturing facilities planned will create thousands of highly skilled jobs.

Earlier this month, Reliance Defence had got DIPP approval for 12 Industrial Licences for manufacturing of aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, all terrain combat vehicles (ATCV), night vision devices, sensors, navigation and surveillance equipment, propulsion systems and simulators.

It also plans to set up Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul ( MRO) and Upgrades of various platforms.

Establishing MRO facilities in India enables operators to achieve faster turnaround times, savings in operating costs thereby significantly enhancing the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces.

These set-ups aim to cater to a global market as well.

The Reliance Group is in the process of acquiring controlling stake in Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering Company (PDOC) in Gujarat.