From Su-30MKI to T-90: India adds 405 defence items to ‘make at home’ list

The Department of Defence Production (DDP) has issued the sixth positive indigenisation list, adding 405 new defence items that Indian manufacturers will now be expected to produce domestically instead of importing. This list is estimated to create a business opportunity worth approximately Rs 3,070 crore for domestic manufacturers. The list encompasses a wide range of weaponry, platforms, systems, and sub-systems, including air and ground platforms, missile systems, defence electronics, and ammunition.

Indigenisation timelines have been provided for each item, with future procurement to be sourced from Indian industry. The Defence Procurement Scheme Units (DPSUs) will pursue this through existing Make and in-house development routes, with small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) expected to play a crucial role. The full list has been posted on the SRIJAN Defence Portal, a dedicated platform that has now facilitated the offer of more than 33,000 defence items for indigenisation since its launch in August 2020, with 5,012 of these coming through the previous five Positive Indigenisation Lists.

This sixth list demonstrates that the exercise has moved beyond a mere symbolic gesture, with over 15,700 defence items already successfully indigenised, resulting in an estimated import substitution of around Rs 9,000 crore over the past five years. Additionally, DPSUs have placed procurement orders worth approximately Rs 10,000 crore on domestic vendors up to March this year, a significant portion of which came through in-house production.

The sixth list is a significant step towards the broader Aatmanirbhar Bharat push in defence manufacturing. It seeks to reduce India's historical reliance on imported components, even for routine platform maintenance. The success of this latest batch of 405 items in being adopted by the industry will depend on how quickly MSMEs can scale up their capabilities. However, on paper, the direction is unmistakably towards building a larger portion of this hardware at home rather than purchasing it abroad.