DAP 2020 Amended: India Issues New Rules on Imported Weapons to Promote "Self Reliance"

The Indian government has strengthened its "Make in India" and "Aatmanirbharta" (self-reliance) initiatives by implementing significant amendments to the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020.

These changes, driven by recommendations from the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), push to streamline domestic defence procurement while driving indigenous production in the sector.

Key Policy Shifts​

The amended DAP introduces several key modifications designed to supercharge domestic manufacturing and curtail practices that might stifle the growth of India's defence industry:

• Heightened Indigenous Content Mandate: Defence procurement cases now require a minimum of 50% indigenous content, encompassing materials, software, and technology. This ensures a larger share of defence spending supports Indian companies.
• Improved Testing Access: The government will make defence testing infrastructure more accessible to domestic manufacturers. This will help companies expedite the testing process, potentially accelerating product development cycles.
• Discouraging Re-badged Imports: To curb the practice of re-selling foreign weapons with minimal Indian input, the DAP mandates that domestic companies have complete know-how of imported Line Replaceable Units (LRUs). Additionally, there's a greater emphasis on developing indigenous alternatives for imported components.
• Domestic Manufacturing Priority: To further promote local production, at least 50% of the total indigenous content must come from materials, components, and software manufactured within India. Authorities may relax this rule after careful review of cases with strong justifications.

Defence analysts have largely welcomed the amended DAP 2020, viewing it as a step in the right direction.

Long-Term Implications​

The revised DAP 2020 could have far-reaching effects on India's defence landscape.

By empowering domestic manufacturers and encouraging local innovation, the country aims to reduce its reliance on foreign arms imports.

This shift could bolster India's strategic autonomy and create significant economic opportunities within the defence sector.

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Great decision. Shows how serious the govt is regarding atmanirbharta. We should look into curbing imports of small arms like assault rifles. Army recently purchased very large numbers of american rifles and then went for a repeat order. Adani producing israeli rifles in India should be a great alternative. And the ak203 plan that has flopped badly needs to be scrapped.

 

[nands]

rules tight krte rho.procurement process hee 10 saal chalta hai india me..armed forces ki requirements assi hai ki assult rifle me tank ka barrel lagne ko bolte hai..after 2014 Babus are still not working , no ownership in DRDO , HAL , ordnance factories.

 

[Rinku Pandey]

Great decision. Shows how serious the govt is regarding atmanirbharta. We should look into curbing imports of small arms like assault rifles. Army recently purchased very large numbers of american rifles and then went for a repeat order. Adani producing israeli rifles in India should be a great alternative. And the ak203 plan that has flopped badly needs to be scrapped.

Atmanirbhta is good, but is it fulfilling our Armed forces need?

 

[Sharvesh M]

Govt. Should also consider silencing Chandigarh lobby. Until then Army will keep on making imaginary requirements and stall every project 🙁

 

[kumar]

It is good that DAP has been revised. Otherwise, foreign weapons are being rebadged and assembled in India. IA procurement also needs to be cleaned up. When we can make fighter jets in India, IA weapon systems also can be developed in India.

 

[Rinku Pandey]

Govt. Should also consider silencing Chandigarh lobby. Until then Army will keep on making imaginary requirements and stall every project 🙁

why ask Armed forces for requirements? Govt knows better.

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Atmanirbhta is good, but is it fulfilling our Armed forces need?

The process has started. We cant just build a domestic defence industry in 5 years. It took china 20 years to become self reliant in defence. It will take us at least 15 more years.

 

[BCharlie]

So, its "Make" in India .... but not "Made in India" ; ... We must endevour to have "Made" in India" policy.

 

[Sandeep]

This was a decision that was desperately needed because foreign companies were trying to take the indirect route of selling their weapons. But India should increase the minimum indigenous content to at least 75% rather than the current 50% which will make a great difference but unfortunately any foreign weapon or content doesn't even contain 100% of their own indigenous content. To make that weapon they source supplies from foreign countries like China to make whatever.

 

[beencensured]

Great decision. Shows how serious the govt is regarding atmanirbharta. We should look into curbing imports of small arms like assault rifles. Army recently purchased very large numbers of american rifles and then went for a repeat order. Adani producing israeli rifles in India should be a great alternative. And the ak203 plan that has flopped badly needs to be scrapped.

Again you say copy paste but no original. Shoot Adani for not being able to make an india original. Let him produce ammunition keep regressive out of development of products.

 

[beencensured]

The process has started. We cant just build a domestic defence industry in 5 years. It took china 20 years to become self reliant in defence. It will take us at least 15 more years.

We can do now, and waste five years with regressive thinking.

 

[Ajath]

Atmanirbhta is good, but is it fulfilling our Armed forces need?

It will. But will take time. Slowly and steadily Pvt players are now.contributing to indigenous weapon manufacturing. Probably it will take a decade or so to see positive results.

 

[Ajath]

Again you say copy paste but no original. Shoot Adani for not being able to make an india original. Let him produce ammunition keep regressive out of development of products.

Its now become a fashion for some of us to blame pvt companies for everything.
Please remember ADANI is a new entrant to defence manufacturing.
The firm is a public ltd company and are answerable to their stakeholders for PL.
They will put their money only on those projects which will fetch them ROI.

 

[Ajath]

why ask Armed forces for requirements? Govt knows better.

Because armed forced are the end users and they know better than anyone else.

 

[Ajath]

Govt. Should also consider silencing Chandigarh lobby. Until then Army will keep on making imaginary requirements and stall every project 🙁

Now the lobbyists have become history.

 

[Satya Dev]

Hogwash - why can't the MoD specify the minimum indigenous content in terms of rupees? Why not cap the profit margin? In the name of tightening, the norms have been further relaxed for screw driver assembling & rebadging plants like LT-Gujarat.

 

[beencensured]

Its now become a fashion for some of us to blame pvt companies for everything.
Please remember ADANI is a new entrant to defence manufacturing.
The firm is a public ltd company and are answerable to their stakeholders for PL.
They will put their money only on those projects which will fetch them ROI.

Crony capitalist are not needed to sabotage iddm. We need iddm only.

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Again you say copy paste but no original. Shoot Adani for not being able to make an india original. Let him produce ammunition keep regressive out of development of products.

Copy paste is still much better than buying outright from foreign cou try that we are doing now. We imported nearly 150,000 rifles from US recently.

 

[SK]

What's the situation with Indo-Russia JV for Ak-203? I thought that IA should've started replacing it's INSAS-rifles with AK-203 by now?

I think it's better for Indian-Govt to consider to either go with the Indo-Russia JV for AK-203 & then eventually expand it for the production of:-

1. RPK-203 => LMG
2. AK-204 => Carbine

Ak-200 rifles are one of the most robust & cost effective rifles in the 21st Century with a very common ammunition.

The only downfall of having this small Arm will be that it can be easily used by the Enemy forces (Pakistani Military) & terrorist Organizations.

Or

Opt for for IWI-ARAD Rifles, Negev-LMG & Negev-7 by PLR Systems as Std. Fire-Arms of the Indian Military with:-

1. 16.5-inch barrel ARAD as the Std. Rifle for IA & IAF
2. 14.5-inch Barrel ARAD as the Std. Carbine for IA & IAF but a Std. Rifle for Indian Navy & ICGS.
3. 12.5 inch barrel ARAD as the Std. Carbine for Indian Navy & ICGS.

In any case, Indian-Govt should consider to replace the Browning-Hi Power Pistols with Glock-17 from CMT Pvt Ltd.

 

[Rajesh]

Good decision . Also projects should be given to Indian private companies on the basis of the company who are willing to improve and work on those projects.m777 is assembling by Mahendra defense but an indigenised version is being developed by kalyani(barath forge) ,those technical gain from bae systems went to a company which has no interest to develop similar light guns but rather they just want to assemble and gain profits,such attitudes should change and govt should award contracts looking into such cases .