Reliance Defense Eyeing Indian Defense Market Worth $100 Bn, Receives 16 New Licenses

India’s Reliance Defense as received 16 new industrial licences for the manufacture of defense equipment that include armored vehicles, electronic warfare systems, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The equipment will be manufactured at Pithampur SEZ in Madhya Pradesh and MIHAN SEZ near Nagpur. Of the 16 licenses, 11 are for land systems, three for naval systems and the rest to make specialized equipment, the company said in a statement Thursday.

With the new 16, Reliance Defense now has 27 manufacturing licenses.

The Land Systems include design, development and production of Heavy Weapons (Artillery Guns, Air Defence Guns, mortars, multi barrel rocket launchers, heavy machine guns) of all calibres, Electronic Warfare Systems, ammunition, explosives, tanks, Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICV), Directed Energy Weapon Systems, Small Arms Laser Systems for target destruction and C4I Systems for various Land Platforms.

Reliance Land Systems Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Defence Ltd will be the lead venture for the manufacturing of Missiles, explosives heavy weapons, tanks and ICVs and Reliance SED Ltd will be the lead entity for manufacture of Electronic Warfare Systems, Directed Energy Weapon systems and Laser Systems for target destruction.

The key programs in these segments have budgetary allocation in excess of Rs.50,000 crore($7.5 billion). The Indian Army will spend an additional Rs.50,000 crore (US $7.5 billion) over next 10 to 15 years on different Combat Vehicles. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has already given go ahead for Air Defence Missile Systems worth Rs.40,000 crore (US $6 billion), Air Defence Guns valued at Rs.17,000 crore ($2.5 billion) and Mounted Gun Systems worth Rs.15,800 crore (US $2.3 billion).

Other projects cleared include upgrades for BMP2 and T-72 tanks, digitization of Pechora Air Defence System and Electronic Warfare System worth Rs.30,000 crore ($4.5 billion). Total opportunities, already approved are thus in excess of Rs.200,000 crore ($30 billion) for the Land Systems.

Reliance Defence Ltd also intends to address a large potential international market for Combat Vehicles in the Middle East, Africa and South America. Reliance Defence Ltd is aiming at developing an Infantry Combat Vehicle which will not only address the domestic requirement but can also addresses the Global requirements estimated at Rs.350,000 crore (US $50 Bn).

Reliance Unmanned Systems Ltd another subsidiary of Reliance Defence Ltd intends to target various requirements of the Indian Navy, Army and the Air Force for Unmanned Systems. The combined Value of these Programs over next 10 years is expected to exceed Rs. 30,000 crore ($4.5 billion).

Reliance Naval systems Ltd a strategic business unit of Reliance Defence Ltd has been issued with 3 licenses to manufacture of Underwater Systems, Electro-Optical Systems, Underwater Weapons and C4I Systems. The naval system programs will be undertaken by Reliance Defence and Engineering Ltd (formerly Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company Ltd) which owns the Pipavav dockyard in Gujarat and which was acquired byReliance Infrastructure Ltd, being the largest acquisition in the Indian defence sector.

The Company will target a combined market of over Rs.50,000 crore ($7.5 billion) for the Naval Systems. Reliance Land Systems Ltd has acquired land at Pithampur SEZ, Indore to set up a land systems park under the Government’s “Make in India” program for indigenous manufacturing of broad spectrum of Land Systems equipment. This greenfield project will address the Rs.200,000 crore ($30 billion) domestic and Rs.350,000 crore ($52.5 billion) global opportunities in the Land System segment in the Defence industry.