Indian private firms in the defence sector reached out to the Chilean defence sector by way of a webinar on Thursday (March 26, 2021) looking for possibilities for co-improvement and co-production in regions of mutual interests.
Almost 130 delegates from India and Chile interacted by way of a webinar on Thursday, (March 26, 2021) which was organized beneath the aegis of Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence (MoD) by way of Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM). More than one hundred virtual exhibition stalls from Indian firms had been also set up.
Why webinars?
In order to obtain the defence export target of USD 5 billion, by 2025, the Ministry of Defence is reaching out to friendly nations by way of webinars to showcase the different military platforms and other gear for exports.
South American nation Chile is the second nation in the area to be portion of the webinar. The initially was Brazil.
Read: India to challenge China’s foray in South America To discover defence export possibilities
What was the theme?
“Indian Defence Industry Global Outreach for Collaborative Partnership: Webinar and Expo”.
Secretary (Defence Production), Raj Kumar Head of the Technological Development and Industry Division inside the ministry in his opening remarks highlighted the keenness of the Indian defence market to participate in the bidding procurement course of action of Chilean Armed Forces.
He also outlined the powerful capabilities of the Indian defence market in different fields, and the possibilities to kind joint ventures for joint production as properly as jointly co-creating different platforms.
Neeraj Gupta, Co-Chairman, SIDM, International and Exports Committee in his welcome remarks highlighted various policy initiatives taken by the Government which aim to develop a lengthy-term momentum towards the development of the Indian Defence Industry in instances to come. He also talked about the announcement of a unfavorable list for the import of defence gear, liberalization of FDI of up to 74 per cent beneath the automatic route, ease of undertaking enterprise combined with a separate capital price range for indigenous weapons procurement are couple of examples of the liberal policies of the Government.
The webinar lasted for more than 3 hours.
Head of the Technological, Development and Industry Division, Ministry of Defence, Government of Chile Mr Oscar Bustos and other senior officials and corporation representatives participated. Presentations had been created by FAMAE/S2T, ASMAR/SISDEF and ENAER/DTS.
Read| Interview: MKU is exporting Made in India Night Vision Devices, says Prachi Gupta, Vice President
And from the Indian side MKU, Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Tata sophisticated Systems, Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), L&T and other individuals.
How lots of Indian defence firms present in Chile?
Only one. Kanpur based MKU Ltd is the only corporation which has been present in Chile for more than decade plus and the Latin America area.
Neeraj Gupta, who is also the Managing Director of MKU Ltd, in his remarks talked about the prevalent challenges and possibilities each nations face in the regions of defense sector. “For a thriving aerospace and defense ecosystem in their respective countries, it becomes more imperative that both sides collaborate in this sector to take advantage of mutual strengths and opportunities.”
TheSpuzz Online has reported earlier Kanpur based MKU Limited not too long ago executed a defence contract with Carabineros of Chile for 11,700 Ballistic Helmets. And this is with accessories worth USD 7.2 million. Diplomatic sources have confirmed that the corporation will be inking a contract extension worth USD 2.1 million quickly. And, “The Kanpur based company has already inked an agreement for joint manufacturing with FAMAE, Chile. This is for the production of electro optics devices and armour products.
For the first time, Larsen & Tourbo (L&T) Shipbuilding entered Chile in February this year. The Chilean Navy Ship Janequeo, built by L&T., sailed into Valparaíso Harbour. This was a USD 11.5 million contract for the twin-screw ‘Anchor Handling, Towing, Supply and Standby Vessel’ (AHTSSV). And a hybrid propulsion and dynamic positioning system.
As was reported by TheSpuzz Online earlier, the work on the ship was carried out in Chennai.
India-Chile Defence Cooperation
As per the laws of the land, for supplying any industrial or defence equipment in Chile, companies from around the world are expected to register themselves with the Joint Staff as well as the Chilean Armed Forces.
How is the Indian Mission helping?
The Indian mission based in the capital city of Santiago, Chile has been helping the Indian companies which are interested in exploring opportunities to register with the Chilean Armed Forces.
So far companies including M/s BrahMos; M/s Goa Shipyard Ltd; M/s Azista Industries; and M/s Reliance Naval Engineering; are registered.
And, the process of registration with Chilean Armed Forces of companies including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), New Space India Limited; Neo Power; and BEML is going on.
What opportunities for the Indian private sector companies in Chile?
Shipbuilding in one sector where the Indian shipyards can work together with the Chilean Navy which is undergoing modernization.
Plans are being firmed up to send a delegation from India to Chile and from there to visit the shipyards to understand the areas where there could be joint production and development. Since the Chilean Navy has been operating `Scorpene’ submarines since 2005, there are possibilities the two sides can work together. ASMAR-Chile’s shipyard is considered to be one of the best in the region. Others are COTECMAR-Colombia; and SIMA-Perú and all of them have full order books.
BrahMos Missiles
Chile was one of the first countries from the region to express interest in the Indo-Russian BrahMos Missiles. Financial express Online has reported earlier about the South American nation’s interest for ship and shore-based platforms. “And in mobile autonomous launchers for coastal defence batteries, ship-based weapons complex for submarines and frigates.”