UK takes a relook at ammunition reserves; Minister bets big on India

As the UK is taking a relook at its ammunition reserves in light of the long drawn conflict between Ukraine and Russia, a key minister is betting big on involving Indian companies into the weapons supply chain and creating capabilities that can manage existing requirements and future needs.

The UK's minister for defence procurement Alex Chalk, who is on a visit to India for an investors summit as well as the Aero India expo, has said that India with its existing capability and "boundless future potential" provides an opportunity to work together to create resilient supply chains.

"One of the things that the Ukrainian war has taught us is that the UK and also France, Germany and the US need to have a long hard look at the reserves we keep in terms of ammunition. We have to make sure that the complex supply chains are resilient and so that people who might wish to do us harm are not involved in our supply chains," the minister said on the sidelines of the show.


He added that this presents a "great opportunity to bring Indian business into our supply chains. Both to manage existing needs and to accommodate the future need...as we need to have deeper ammunition stores than before".

He is leading a sizeable delegation of top UK defence companies such as Rolls Royce, BAE Systems, MBDA UK, Thales UK, Collins Aerospace and Leonardo that have been in talks with both current and potential Indian partners.

Asked on what kind of supply chains can be created, he said: "When we need short range air defence (missiles), which is the laser beam riding MANPADS, which we are developing with India, that provides resilience. If we find ourselves with a situation where we need to increase our reserves in the future, where would we come to? India, as it has built that sovereign capability."