Ambitious goals for defence

If India is to have any chance of doubling exports, it must first recognise exports and production are two sides of the same coin

At the Defence Expo held in Lucknow recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted Indian manufacturers to double defence exports to $5 billion (Rs 37,000 crore) over the next five years. Around the same time, reports indicated that a major private sector company aspiring to become a producer of military platforms had gone into liquidation, forcing the government to en-cash all its bank guarantees. These two developments are incongruous and require some discussion.

In 2011, the Indian Navy placed an order for five Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) with a private sector entity, the Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering Company. These vessels, the