India Mulls Ditching Some Foreign Defence Deals to Boost Domestic Arms Industry - Reports

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - The Indian Defence Ministry has begun reviewing a number of foreign defence contracts in order to replace some of them, Indian news broadcaster Republic World reported on Saturday, citing sources.

According to the agency, the Ministry of Defence has been reviewing all ongoing projects under the "Buy Global" category, which includes direct contracts with foreign arms producers without the participation of the Indian military-industrial complex, with the view to either scrap or put on hold some of them to boost domestic arms production.

The contracts that are under review include tenders on long-range air defence systems, towed artillery pieces, vertical launch surface-to-air missiles, unmanned aerial systems, additional surveillance Boeing P-8I aircraft along with MiG-29 combat aircraft.

India signed its first contract for the purchase of eight Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft in January 2009. In November 2019, the Defence Procurement Board of India approved the purchase of ten more such aircraft, five of which were delivered to India by December 2021.

In July 2020, India's Defence Acquisition Council approved the acquisition of 21 Russian MiG-29 fighters, among other aircraft. In February 2021, the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said that the Indian government had also decided to purchase additional aircraft, adding that the Indian Air Force is now set to make a decision on relevant bidding procedures.

The news comes as the implementation of the "Make in India" policy ramps up. Announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2014, the policy aims to strengthen domestic industry and increase exports.