NAVARMS 2013 INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR CUM EXHIBITION ON NAVAL ARMAMENT 1. Background. Indian Navy (IN) has been in forefront in indigenisation of its platforms, systems, sensors and weapons. As a fall out of the capabilities, our yards are now being recognised world over. In the field of indigenous development of naval armament, IN had adopted a two pronged approach. Firstly, it is self-reliance which has helped in harnessing potential of our DRDO establishment and industries. Secondly, wherever technology was readily available and collaboration was possible, IN has considered the option of partnership in the form of either Transfer of Technology (TOT) or Joint Venture (JV) between the appropriate players and the national industry. This has resulted in bridging the time gap between development and exploitation of a weapon system. 2. Aim. The aim of the seminar cum exhibition was to provide an opportunity to exchange ideas, create awareness and identify the emerging opportunities for greater participation of Indian and foreign defence industry in the field of naval armament. 3. Conduct of Seminar. As a continuum to IN s thrust on indigenisation and self-reliance in the field of naval armament, the two days international seminar cum exhibition on naval armaments NAVARMS 2013 was organised by Indian Navy in association with Confederations of Indian Industries (CII) at India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi on 31 Jan 01 Feb 13. The seminar was sponsored by CII. The theme of the seminar was Armament Indigenisation through Collaborative Approach. This seminar was primarily conducted to facilitate interaction between armament manufacturers, R&D Organisations and the Indian Navy.
NAVARMS 2013 2 4. Inauguration of Seminar. Shri AK Antony, Hon ble Raksha Mantri was the Chief Guest during the inaugural function of NAVARMS 2013 seminar. 5. Inaugural Session. The welcome address for NAVARMS-13 was delivered by Shri Nikhil Gandhi, Chairman CII defence Core Group on Strategic Projects. He brought out that the Indian defence industry feels encouraged by the MoD initiatives and very keen to support IN s effort to realise the goal of self-reliance and indigenisation. Vice Admiral RK Dhowan, then Vice Chief of Naval Staff in his theme address brought out that the complexity of indigenisation process requires induction of technology, meeting staff requirements of services, setting up of infrastructure of after sales support and maintenance, catering for development & production delays and to have a project which is sustainable as well as economically viable. He also brought out that to progress on path of self-reliance and indigenisation, all stake holders would need to tap the potential of our public and private
NAVARMS 2013 3 sector for induction of cutting edge of technology within a time bound schedule and at optimal cost. Admiral DK Joshi, then Chief of Naval Staff in his keynote address stated that indigenisation in defence not only spurs growth of our domestic military-industrial sector, but also becomes one of the enablers for India to gain true strategic autonomy as a nation. He stated that the IN requirements of high end technology is presently being met through import routes where the import to indigenous ratio is 70:30 which needs to be remedied. He emphasised that our quest for self-reliance in defence underlies the growing importance of private sector participation of one hand and revitalising the public sector on the other. The Hon ble Raksha Mantri in his inaugural address brought out that while considerable time and effort has been invested in defence R&D by the Private Sector, the Government, on its part has constantly endeavored to increase levels of transparency and accountability in the defence acquisition process. The Technical Journal and Compendium of Papers for the seminar were released by the Chief Guest. The inaugural session of the seminar was attended by more than 235 delegates from three services, industry, DRDO and media.
NAVARMS 2013 4 6. Inauguration of Exhibition. The NAVARMS 2013 exhibition on defence technology was inaugurated by Hon ble Raksha Mantri. 7. Participation from the Industry. 111 delegates including 11 foreign nationals participated in the seminar representing 67 firms, 21 of which were foreign. The firms participated were from various walks of armament production, viz. Guns, missiles, torpedoes, decoys, ammunition, pyrotechnics, explosives, explosive disposal, heavy duty batteries, electronic instrumentation, polymers, forgings, heavy engineering applications, controls and switch gears, IT/ networking solutions, sensors, test equipments, cables and consultancy. 8. Plenary Sessions. The seminar comprised of following five plenary sessions:- (a) (b) (c) (d) User needs and concerns. Opportunities and insight Role of industry. Modern trends and technology in naval armaments. Transfer of Technology and Joint Venture Challenges. (e) armaments. Up gradation, life assessment/extension & life sustenance of naval
NAVARMS 2013 5 Plenary Session - I : User Needs and Concerns. 9. The session titled User Needs and Concerns was chaired by Vice Admiral MT Moraes, AVSM, Inspector General Nuclear Safety, IHQ- MOD(Navy). The aim of the session was to focus/highlight the concerns/ requirements of Indian navy in terms of naval armaments. The topics presented by distinguished speakers during the session are given in the succeeding Paragraphs. 10. Need and Concerns of Surface Navy Rear Admiral AK Chawla, NM, VSM, ACNS(P&P). The speaker emphasised that IN has always supported and facilitated indigenisation and self-reliance as it is the only long term solution to ensure uninterrupted force modernisation, equipment maintenance and ordnance requirements. However, in cases where development and production of sub-systems/equipment/components is neither technologically feasible nor economically viable, the import option is being resorted to so that the 'fighting efficiency' of the Navy is not impeded. He brought out that the developments in the field of defence systems are inherently technology intensive and require substantial investment of time and resources. The IN therefore, seeks to minimise the number of procedures, processes, physical parts, components and equipment necessary to manufacture, operate and maintain a system. The access to technology and the ability to absorb and exploit it will have a vital impact on the effectiveness of Navy. It will therefore be the IN's endeavor to constantly reinvigorate our technology induction programs and practices in order to prepare for future challenges in ways that are rewarding for both IN as well as the industry.
NAVARMS 2013 6 11. Need and Concerns of Submarine Arm Rear Admiral LV Sarat Babu, NM, ACNS(SM). The speaker brought out that the Submarine Arm is rapidly evolving with modern machines and technology replacing the earlier vintage. The submarine armament though limited in types, have always had a multiplier effect in the warfare of yester years owing to the inherent advantages of the platforms giving it the additional potential. The armament for the submarine has also seen many improvisations and refinement to produce some of the most lethal weapon array in the world over. Our country probably has a lot to catch up to do in so far as the Submarine armament is concerned. The Submarine Arm today operates three classes of submarines with yet another one slated to join the pack soon and there is tremendous potential in the field of submarine armament for our industry to gain and contribute towards the overall national security. 12. Need and Concerns of Naval Aviation Rear Admiral DM Sudan, ACNS(Air). The speaker brought out that the naval aviation, operating a significant number of aircraft and helicopters, is an important arm of the Indian Navy and is central to all naval operations. Further, naval aviation today, is at the threshold of future expansion wherein a quantum increase in aviation capability is envisaged both in terms of platforms and weapon systems. As future generation aircraft and helicopters are inducted, the requirement for induction of more capable air armament also arises. For naval Aviation to consolidate its capabilities to operate across the full spectrum of conflict, continuous up gradation of the weapon capabilities and combat readiness is an inescapable requirement. This goal cannot be achieved without embarking on the path of self-reliance, which
NAVARMS 2013 7 requires the seamless and effective interface among the Navy, the DRDO, the Public sector and the Private sector. Considering the envisaged growth of naval aviation, India needs effective indigenous airborne weapon manufacturing programs. 13. Need and Concerns of Maintainer Cmde SK Nair, NM, PDWE. The speaker emphasised that the primary concerns of IN include inadequate understanding of Naval requirements, delivery of indigenised system on schedule, life time product support and most importantly, the specified quality controls should be implemented in totality. The major concerns of the Industry include gaps between the specifications mentioned in the SQRs and technology available in the world market, changes in SQRs leading to delays in production, inadequacy of assured order quantities etc. There is a need to make conscious effort towards a paradigm shift from the Buyer-Seller relationship to a healthy Partnership between the industry and the Navy and a greater synergy amongst all stake holders i.e. the Navy, the Private Industry, DRDO, DGQA and the Government. 14. Comments on Plenary Session I. During the plenary session-i, the impetus to the seminar was provided by representatives of the surface, aviation, submarine arms and weapon systems who voiced their Needs and Concerns. It emerged that though satisfactory indigenisation content in the float and move category exists, efforts in the fight segment needs to be enhanced. The areas of concern include delays in fructification of important projects, life time product support, implementation of quality control as well as the existence of a broad spectrum of equipment and systems leading to issues of
NAVARMS 2013 8 inventory management. The requirement of seamless and effective interface among the Navy, the DRDO, the Public Sector and the Private Sector to gear up to the envisaged quantum increase in capability by the end of this decade was also brought out. Plenary Session II : Opportunities and Insight Role of Industry. 15. The session titled Opportunities and Insight Role of Industry was chaired by Shri JD Patil, Vice President, M/s L&T. In line with the Navy's endeavor of self-reliance through indigenisation, greater involvement and participation of industry both public and private sector is the need of the hour. Accordingly, the second session was structured to understand the 'Opportunities and Insight with emphasis on 'Role of Industry'. The session started with brief introduction by the chair person on the role of Indian industries making the country self-reliant. The session included technology absorption and indigenisation, steels and light weight armoured solutions for defence applications. The topics presented by distinguished speakers during the session are given in the succeeding Paragraphs. 16. Self-Reliance in Armament Development Need of the Hour by Commodore(Retd) Anil Jai Singh, Pipava Defence & Offshore Engineering Co. Ltd. The speaker evinced that it is essential to be a builders Navy, if we are to reflect the country s regional posture in the maritime domain. The indigenisation and selfreliance across the entire equipment fit on board including armament is paramount. Indian industry has come of age in the 21st century and has made its presence felt on the global stage in various high technology
NAVARMS 2013 9 areas. It is therefore time for the decision makers in the MoD to utilise the capacity and capability of industry to address issues of concern in defence indigenisation and create an ecosystem conducive to broadening the national defence industrial base. Industry on its part has to sense the opportunity and make a positive contribution. 17. ESSAR Steel plates for Defence Applications - Dr M Venkatraman, Sr Vice President & Head Product Dev, ESSAR Steel. The speaker discussed the latest trends in special alloy design for developing ballistic and naval steels through advanced metallurgical processes. He brought out that ESSAR steel has reviewed the microstructural control and rolling practices to achieve ultra-high strength and tough steels for indigenous production of special alloy plates for Indian Defence. The presentation given by the speaker also highlighted the indigenisation efforts made ESSAR so far in developing steel for Warships and substantial cost saving in terms FOREX for the nation. 18. Light Weight Armored Solution by Shri Rajesh Gupta, GM, M/s MKU Technologies. The speaker brought out the developments undertaken by the firm in the field of light weight and ballistic armour solutions for ships, hellos and vehicles which are vulnerable to terrorist/piracy attacks. The speaker informed that the firm has already supplied the armour solutions to foreign firms for use in their ships/vehicles and expertise exists with M/s MKU Technologies to deliver wide range of hardware to defence forces.
NAVARMS 2013 10 19. Comments on Plenary Session II. The speakers during this session have brought out the capabilities of their respective industries, various current development programs with IN and their latest developments. The Chairman appreciated the role of the industry towards self-reliance in armament development and thanked the speakers for their views and efforts towards armament indigenisation. Plenary Session III : Modern Trends & Technology in Naval Armaments. 20. The session titled Modern Trends and Technology in Naval Armaments was chaired by Vice Admiral NN Kumar, AVSM, VSM, Chief of Material, IHQ-MOD(Navy). The aim of the session was to provide a forum for both Indian and overseas armament industry to project their core capabilities / innovative technology. The topics presented by distinguished speakers during the session are given in the succeeding Paragraphs. 21. Eco Friendly Munitions and Disposal by Dr Chitra Rajagopal, Sc'G', Associate Director, CFEES. The speaker emphasised on replacing the existing conventional explosives with eco-friendly or green explosives to obviate the concerns of health and safety of own forces, as most of the explosion/launches/firings are undertaken during training. However, she also brought out that, though powerful green explosives are available through worldwide research, the same are 100 times more expensive to produce than conventional ones.
NAVARMS 2013 11 Scientists have predicted that even at best, the new generation materials will be double or triple the price. She also emphasised for environment friendly demilitarisation of excess and obsolete ammunition and explosive products. She also brought out various methods of alleviating the danger posed by life expired munitions to the environment. 22. Transformation in ASW - A Submariners View by R Adm (Retd) Mark Anderson, Director, M/s Ultra Electronics, UK. The speaker highlighted the developments undertaken by M/s Ultra Electronics in the field of Anti-Submarine warfare. He enumerated various developments that his firm is engaged in, that have the potential to transform the practice of ASW, thereby making the submariner s mission more difficult. 23. L&T in Indian Navy's Journey towards Indigenisation & Future by Shri Satish Bharatan, Sr DGM, L&T. Shri Satish Bharatan covered the systems delivered to the Navy by M/s L&T and the initiatives being taken towards increasing indigenisation as well as providing life cycle support to IN for these systems. 24. Comments on Plenary Session III. The third session on modern trends and technology in naval armament covered ecofriendly munitions and their disposal, latest technological developments in the field of Anti-submarine warfare. The latest development by the M/s L&T for the IN was covered during the session. The Chairman
NAVARMS 2013 12 appreciated the view points of the three speakers towards trends and technology in eco-friendly munitions & disposal, development in anti-submarine warfare by M/s Ultra, UK and the initiatives of M/s L&T towards indigenisation & life cycle support to Navy. Plenary Session IV : Transfer of Technology & Joint Venture Challenges. 25. The session titled Transfer of Technology & Joint Venture Challenges was chaired by Dr. Avinash Chander, Distigushed Scientist & CCR&D(MSS). The aim of the fourth session was to address the challenges in TOT and JV confronted by the industry as a good number of TOTs and JVs have fructified ever since provisions in DPP/DPM facilitated opening up of defence sector. The topics presented by distinguished speakers during the session are given in the succeeding Paragraphs. 26. Efficacy of JV During Design & Development by Shri S Radhakrishnan, Director, IITM. Mr S Radhakrishnan, Director, Industry Interface & Technical Management enlightened the audience with his talk on efficacy of joint venture during design and development. He brought out that the transfer of technology will depend on the complexity of the system. DRDO has evolved Different types of technology transfer models such as Consortium model, Concurrent Engineering model, Joint Venture model, multi-lab-multi-organisational model, Joint Development model (LRSAM) and conventional TOT model. The DRDO has also evolved the process of development through the limited series production and DRDO owned-company operated systems.
NAVARMS 2013 13 27. Challenges in TOT during Manufacture by Shri Pankaj Gupta, Addl GM (Def Projects), BHEL. The speaker brought out that the foray of hi-tech, sophisticated and high end equipments, weapons and systems in defence and with the prevailing era of liberalisation, has posed tremendous challenge and opportunities for private/public sector to come forward and opened vistas for assimilating their capabilities, competency and resources in the area of defence production in a big way. He acknowledged the difficulties in starting or changing from industrial/commercial production to defence/military grade production. He mentioned that, although core competencies in engineering and technology are available with Indian industry but there is a need for reorientation/ adaptation of industry to cater for stringent requirements of defence standards pertaining to practices, components, and testing standards. 28. Challenges In Adaptability Of TOT Way Ahead by Shri SK Rath, General Manager, OFK(Jabalpur). Shri SK Rath brought out that Transfer of Technology has become the preferred route for infusion of critical technologies into the Indian defence industries and Ordnance Factory Board(OFB) has entered into several TOT agreements with foreign vendors. He highlighted the experiences of OFB in execution of the TOT agreements, challenges faced and the solutions found to successfully execute the TOT agreements for future TOTs.
NAVARMS 2013 14 29. Challenges in TOT during Manufacture by Shri BS Prasad, General Manager (Marketing & Business Development). The speaker showcased the challenges that need to be dealt during technology transfer such as inadequate documentation, language of documentation, issues with the manufacture of BTP and BTS items either by the recipient or its subcontractor. The other issues highlighted were supplies from OEM for the items for which no technology transfer is offered, political relations between the countries etc. He brought out that the latest changes to offset policy guide lines by MoD will equip the industry with state of the art technology and the joint development programs may become preferred option to technology transfer agreements. 30. Comments on Plenary Session IV. The challenges faced during design and development, during manufacture and execution of TOT agreements by DRDO, OFB and public sector (BHEL & BDL) during the JVs and TOTs were highlighted during the session. The solutions/ suggestions to successfully execute future TOT agreements were brought out during the session. The Chairman appreciated the four speakers for their views towards efficacy of ToTs & JVs, various challenges during the process of ToTs & JVs and the suggested way ahead.
NAVARMS 2013 15 Plenary Session V : Upgradation, Life Assessment / Extension and Life Sustenance of Naval Armaments. 31. The session titled Upgradation, Life Assessment/Extension and Life Sustenance of Naval Armaments was chaired by Shri GS Bhatnagar, DGONA. The aim of the fifth session was to dwell upon the life cycle maintenance needs such as life assessment/extension and life sustenance of naval armaments. The topics presented by distinguished speakers during the session are given in the succeeding Paragraphs. 32. Future Trends in Armament Technology by Dr V Bhujanga Rao, CCR&D (NS), DRDO HQ. The speaker brought out the development undertaken by the DRDO specifically NSTL in the field of underwater weapons such as Torpedoes and Mines. He also highlighted the R&D undertaken in the field of underwater decoys, stealth technology, Air Independent Propulsion system for submarines, rail gun technology, all electric ship, unmanned underwater vehicles, underwater directed energy weapons, amiable/ directional warheads, glider based torpedo delivery system, GPS based floating recorder, super cavitation underwater projectiles/torpedoes, etc. The developments in the batteries to be used for modern torpedoes and mines were also covered by the speaker.
NAVARMS 2013 16 33. Maintenance Philosophy of Naval Armaments by Shri Laxman Singh, Chief General Manager, NAD(Alwaye). The speaker brought out that the armament inventory is required to be maintained for its serviceability, safety in storage, handling, operation and disposal when no longer required in service either due to obsolescence or expiry of its useful life. 34. Revision of Air Launched Missiles & Guided Bombs by Indian Air Force by Air Commodore AK Gupta, VSM, PD(DASE). The speaker in his presentation covered the methodologies followed on life revision of various weapons held with IAF and brought out that the life assigned by OEM is invariably conservative in nature due to commercial interests. Therefore, scope exists for life revision of these stores by following a structured approach through scientific analysis, without compromising on safety and performance. He brought out two life revision methodologies which are relative and absolute. The former involves generation of benchmark using missiles of latest make available with IAF and measurement of performance parameters of the life expired missiles through comprehensive tests. In the later method, parameters are compared with the design data. This data is generally not shared by OEM with users. Thus OEM is required to be mandatorily approached for undertaking such life revision. Once benchmark has been established, samples of the missiles under life extension per vintage are inducted for similar comprehensive tests and results compared with the benchmarks. If results are found within acceptable limits, life extension is granted by the life extension committee.
NAVARMS 2013 17 35. Comments on Plenary Session - V. A vivid presentation on in-service maintenance philosophy of NA stores encompassing the maintainer s perspectives on the need for reliable and maintainable naval armaments was discussed during the session. The necessity and methodology of life extension/assessment and sustenance and their revision pertaining to armaments were also discussed during the session. The Chairman in his concluding remark thanked all speakers for their views on future trends in naval armaments, maintenance philosophies at Naval Armament Depots and life revision philosophy adopted by IAF. Valedictory Session 36. Shri Jitendra Singh, Honb le Raksha Rajya Mantri was the Chief guest for the valedictory session. Admiral D K Joshi, then Chief of Naval Staff also graced the occasion. The valedictory session was conducted in the Jakaranda Hall, India Habitat Center and attended by approx 235 delegates from Services, DRDO and Industries (Indian & Foreign). 37. The summing up and concluding address of the seminar was delivered by Rear Admiral Brijesh Jhang, DGNAI. He brought out that the deliberations during the two day seminar highlights that technology & ample resources are available in our country and it is the keenness & opportunity for the private sector to tap the potential. He also said that what is needed is to put to pen the processes and procedures through which the much desired
NAVARMS 2013 18 metamorphosis can be brought out. This mandates a Navy Industry partnership with regular interaction and increased role of CII. 38. Shri Jitendra Singh, Honb le Raksha Rajya Mantri in his valedictory address brought out that a large percentage of armed forces requirements are met through import which makes it imperative to formulate a way ahead to achieve our objective of self-reliance through public and private sector partnership. He also highlighted the initiatives taken by the Government to encourage both private and public sector to develop and manufacture products for our Armed forces. 39. Shri Gurpal Singh, Principal Adviser and Head, CII (Defence, Aero and security) delivered the vote of thanks.
NAVARMS 2013 19 40. The DGNAI and his team associated with CII for smooth conduct of NAVARMS-2013.