Indianisation of the Defence Industry in India: Evaluating the Expanding Role of the Private Sector in Defence Manufacturing

References

[1] Behera, L. K. (2019). India's defence industry: The road to self-reliance. IDSA Monograph Series, 67, 1–98. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

[2] Kotha, V., Vaddadi, K., Midhun, P., Bommena, N., & Sachdeva, M. (2025). India’s defence modernization and the pursuit of technological autarky: Policy reforms, persistent gaps, and strategic pathways. International Journal of Advanced Research and Interdisciplinary Scientific Endeavours, 3(3), 916–935. https://doi.org/10.61359/11.2206-2547

[3] Chakraborty, A. A., & Roy, G. S. (2024). From imports to exports: Analysing India's defence sector evolution and atmanirbharata.

[4] Smyrnov, I. (2025). The impact of geopolitical risks on global supply chains. Journal of Information Systems Engineering and Management, 10(12s), 582–589. https://doi.org/10.52783/jisem.v10i12s.1866

[5] Weiss, M. (2019). From Wealth to Power? The Failure of Layered Reforms in India’s Defense Sector. Journal of Global Security Studies, 4(4), 560–578. https://doi.org/10.1093/jogss/ogz036

[6] Behera, L. K. (2021). Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020: Imperatives for Further Reforms. ORF Issue Brief, 440.

[7] Sharma, A., & Gupta, A. (2024). A paradigm shift. In The quest for strategic autonomy (pp. 282–303). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003591498-20

[8] Dey, R., & Gawande, V. (2026). From importer to exporter: Analysing India's defence export trajectory (2014–2025) through the lens of policy, industrial capacity, and geopolitical realignment. International Journal of Economic Social Science and Management Law, 7(1(1)), 607–614.

[9] Verma, V. (2024). DRDO: Reflections on the Past, Present, and Future of India’s Defence Research Agency. The Quest for Strategic Autonomy, 258–281. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003591498-19

[10] Gupta, P. (2021). Bharat Forge: entrepreneurial leadership triumphs disruptive times. The CASE Journal, 18(1), 126–142. https://doi.org/10.1108/tcj-02-2020-0011

[11] Vatsa, D. (2025). Understanding the Impact of Emerging Technologies on Wars. Technology, Energy and Warfare in Evolving Geopolitics, 202–224. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003633204-17

[12] Gupta, A. (2022). Techno-nationalism vs. techno globalization: India’s military acquisitions and arms production dilemma. Comparative Strategy, 41(2), 212-228.

[13] Shukla, A. (2023). The Real Tension Between Industrialisation and Indigenisation. How Realist Is India’s National Security Policy?, 83–101. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003093343-7

[14] Rajiv, S. S. C. (2022). The India-Israel Defence and Security Partnership At 30. Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

[15] BHARAT, S. T. V., & ZERO, N. (2026). SECTORAL INSIGHTS: INDUSTRY.

[16] Kumari, A., & Tiwari, M. (2025). Evolution of research on resource dependency theory: a bibliometric exploration of its correlation with the firm’s performance. Kybernetes, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1108/k-12-2024-3239

[17] Schulte, B., Andresen, F., & Koller, H. (2019). Exploring the Embeddedness of an Informal Community of Practice Within a Formal Organizational Context: A Case Study in the German Military. Journal of Leadership &Amp; Organizational Studies, 27(2), 153–179. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051819833382

[18] Bodnieks, V. (2020). The New Institutionalism: A tool for analysing defence and security institutions. Security and Defence Quarterly, 32(5), 83–94. https://doi.org/10.35467/sdq/130903

[19] Mehta, S. (2018). National Innovation System of India: An Empirical Analysis. Millennial Asia, 9(2), 203–224. https://doi.org/10.1177/0976399618786343

[20] Murti, M. (2019). A Comparison of Defence Sector Innovation Ecosystems in China and India. Strategic Analysis, 44(1), 45–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/09700161.2020.1700001

[21] Verma, P. K. India's Defence Manufacturing Industry: Future Prospects and Strategic Roadmap.

[22] Shukla, A. (2023). The Real Tension Between Industrialisation and Indigenisation. How Realist Is India’s National Security Policy?, 83–101. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003093343-7

[23] Yadav, A. (2024). Strengthening Indigenous Capabilities. Journal of Defence Studies, 18(4), 83-114.

[24] Roy-Chaudhury, R., & Solanki, V. (2020). India: defence spending and procurement. Research Handbook on the Arms Trade. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789900996.00020

[25] M Srinath, T. (2020). Transfer of Technology in Indian Defence Manufacture - Elements and Challenges. Journal of Management Research and Analysis, 7(1), 6–10. https://doi.org/10.18231/j.jmra.2020.003

[26] Bhojraj, W. R. (2024). From Ideas to Action. The Quest for Strategic Autonomy, 192–216. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003591498-16

[27] Garg, N., Garg, R., Das, A., & Pandey, S. (2026). Identifying bottlenecks in the medical equipment procurement process of central equipment procurement agency of government of India (GOI) and suggesting remedial measures. Medical Journal Armed Forces India, 82(3), 267–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mjafi.2024.09.006

[28] Harutyunyan, T. (2025). Armenia–India military cooperation: emerging strategic partnerships in a shifting geopolitical landscape. ARVAK Armenian analytical center, 11, 2025.

[29] Choudhary, D. (2025, May). Bridging bureaucracy and battlefield: A public administration perspective on reforming India’s defence procurement and logistics ecosystem. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology, 11(12), 7112. https://www.ijirt.org/

[30] Nair, C. D. J. N. (Ed.). (2023). Emerging Defence, Maritime and Aerospace Technologies by DRaS. Highlyy Publishing LLP.

[31] Rossiter, A., & Cannon, B. J. (2019). Making arms in India? Examining New Delhi’s renewed drive for defence-industrial indigenization. Defence Studies, 19(4), 353–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/14702436.2019.1685880

@article{1719008,
      author = {Samar Singh Chauhan, Dr. Prabhu Dass Batvari, Dr. Arvind Nain, Dr. Priyanka Rana},
      title = {Indianisation of the Defence Industry in India: Evaluating the Expanding Role of the Private Sector in Defence Manufacturing},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2026},
      volume = {9},
      number = {12},
      pages = {1866-1875},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1719008.pdf},
      abstract = {This chapter traces the continuing evolution of India's defence industrial base with a particular focus on the growing role of the private sector in defence production in the country in the context of indigenisation policy. The study places this analysis in the context of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India and employs a qualitative and thematic analysis approach based on eight purposively selected case studies across the aerospace, armoured vehicles, ammunition, electronics, naval systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) sectors. Tata Advanced Systems, L&T Defence, Bharat Forge, Mahindra Defence, Solar Industries, the Kalyani Group, Adani Defence and the iDEX innovation ecosystem are the cases. The chapter systematically thematises the four dimensions of policy enablement, private sector capability development, export ambition and structural barriers to highlight key mechanisms that are driving India's shift from a defence economy that is largely import dependent and public sector led, to a more pluralistic and innovation-led defence industrial ecosystem. The findings show that while landmark reforms like the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020, progressive Positive Indigenisation Lists and FDI liberalisation to 100% have paved the way, there are still a number of structural issues that are preventing the private sector from leveraging the strategic potential, such as the inefficiencies in the procurement cycle, the public-sector mentality in the PIB publication and the prototype-to-production valley of death. The chapter ends with a conceptual model for ongoing indigenisation and suggests avenues for future research for scholars and policymakers in this field.},
      keywords = {Indigenisation, Defence Manufacturing, Private Sector, Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Strategic Autonomy},
      month = {June},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I12-1719008}
  }