NEW STRIDES IN DEFENCE PRODUCTION
Before Independence, there were only 17 Ordnance Factories producing rudimentary and obsolete armament, due to old machinery and lack of expertise. After independence, our Defence factories are producing sophisticated and modern armaments, covering 70% of requirements due to the efforts of our scientists, and resulting in superiority of the Indian forces over the Pakistan forces in the last conflict.
The progress made during the last few years by the thirty Ordnance factories and eight Defence Public Sector Undertakings was phenomenal. The former are producing all types of armament mainly for the army, while the latter are producing aircraft, frigates, earth-moving vehicles, etc. The Indo-Pakistan war underscored the need for self-reliance in and indigenization of armaments. The Defence Research and Development Units have largely succeeded in this field.
SUPER ALLOYS AND PROPELLANTS
High caliber and sophisticated armament requires import of special metals and super alloys with special properties. Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad, has developed the technique for the production of these alloys. When the forty-crore Mishra Datu Nigam Project Hyderabad, is commissioned, India will be one of the very few nations which can manufacture these special metals and super alloys. Project planning for a propellant factory is almost complete.
ARICRAFT AND COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT
The various factories of the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. are producing aircraft engines and accessories, reducing our dependence on imports. The BEL Factory, Ghaziabad, designed and constructed by Indian Engineers, will help indigenous manufacture of sophisticated electronic equipment. BEL will soon set up a project to manufacture micro circuits for production of electronic components.
SHIP-BUILDING ACTIVITIES
Mazagaon Docks, Mumbai, will construct vessels up to 15,000 DWT and repair bulk-carriers. Garden Reach Workshops will construct marine diesel engines, ships and road-rollers. Fibre-glass boats, to curb smuggling, will also be built.
ORDNANCE FACTORIES
To keep pace with the advances in Science and Technology, the continuous programme for modernizing and increasing the capacity of the ordnance factories, is supported by the Research and Development organization, with its expertise. Improved Indian field guns have been introduced. More efficient and lighter guns are being developed. Medium machine-guns will be produced in about three years to meet the total requirements of the Army. Ammunition for 130 mm gun, now imported, will be produced by 1977. Plant and machinery will be installed in Bhandara within a year for manufacturing propellants for rockets and ballistics for bombs. The Defence Production Department will set up a factory at Bhandara to provide commercial explosives for the Coal Mines Authority to boost coal production. Ordnance Factory at Ambajhari has facilities for the manufacture of Krupp-Man bridges made out of aluminium alloys, for transporting heavy vehicles across rivers.
VEHICLES
Indigenous contents of the vehicles will be increased in the Vehicle Factory, Jabalpur, thus, boosting up production of army vehicles. Proposals for equipping the factory to manufacture armoured personnel- carriers and other light armoured vehicles are under consideration.