Govt decision to give up on 'Make 1' defence projects is flawed

An existing "Make" procedure for developing such systems involves the ministry paying back 80% of the development cost, but its unease with this category was already evident

Private defence firms with ambitions to be platform developers, rather than mere manufacturers, are disappointed at the defence ministry’s decision to step away from reimbursing the cost of developing complex, high-technology defence platforms. An existing “Make” procedure for developing such systems involves the ministry paying back 80 per cent of the development cost, but its unease with this category was already evident. After having hailed the “Make” procedure as a vital driver of indigenisation, only three “Make” projects have been initiated over the preceding decade: The Tactical Communication System (TCS), the Battlefield Management System (BMS) and the Future Infantry Combat