Defence Industry

How effective are offsets as a means to boost a domestic defence industry? This article takes a novel approach to answering this question; examining global data on levels of defence sales over three decades as a measure of successful defence industrialisation (i.e., using the market as an indicator of success). The quantitative data points to a mixed picture as despite the ubiquity of defence offsets, they are no guarantees of success in defence industrialisation.

• Joanna Spear
• July 2013
• Strategic Analysis

Most developed economies are already feeling threatened by increasing equity investments sponsored by foreign government-owned and/ or foreign government-controlled entities in the defence and high-tech industries. A coordinated government response for supervision of foreign investments will emerge on the horizon sooner than later.

• Sandeep Verma
• May 07, 2013
• Comment

Like many other developing counties, Brazil also believes in self-reliance in arms manufacturing and has articulated comprehensive national defence policy with a strong support of its armed forces. There could possibly be some lessons for India.

• Laxman Kumar Behera
• April 25, 2013
• Comment

By now making software development ineligible for discharge of offsets we might be depriving ourselves of what was considered necessary only a couple of months ago. This could also prove to be a setback for the Indian software industry.

• Amit Cowshish
• March 13, 2013
• Comment

India’s power in the next round of politics among nations will stem not simply from the latest purchase of military goods, but also from the manner in which it has amassed them.

• Srdjan Vucetic
• February 11, 2013
• Comment

India’s first aerospace-focussed SEZ that QuEST Global has set up at Hattargi village near Belgaum seeks to transform the Indian aerospace sector by striving to create a well-endowed aerospace ecosystem at one location.

• Radhakrishna Rao
• January 22, 2013
• Comment

MoD has to assume the leadership role and provide some kind of a single-window service to the defence industry to steer the offsets in a direction that helps achieve the objective of modernisation through self-reliance.

• Amit Cowshish
• November 30, 2012
• Comment

A thorough and honest review of the progress made so far is essential for arresting the drift in the Defence Production Policy and for course correction.

• Amit Cowshish
• October 25, 2012
• Comment

This commentary looks at the characteristics of Saab’s recent investments as well as the prospect and challenges for current and future Swedish-Indian collaboration in the defence industrial sector.

• Rebecka S. Rydberg
• September 28, 2012
• Comment

In the absence of a sustained and visible commitment to rapid indigenisation, India’s dependence on foreign suppliers for its defence needs will only increase and India will sadly remain a ‘knowledge colony’.

• Ramesh Phadke
• September 18, 2012
• Comment