India Readies 15-Year Weapon Shopping List

New Delhi:The defence ministry, in its technology perspective capability roadmap (TPCR-2025) for the next 15 years, has unveiled a defence acquisition plan worth several hundred billion dollars, which includes another aircraft carrier, nuclear-propelled warships, cruise missiles, high- and medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles, and future and light tanks, among others.

Since the commissioning of the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, the Navy had been asking for a third aircraft carrier, given the increased activity in the Indian Ocean Region.

The roadmap has outlined one aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy, which will have a life of 40 years. It also talks about the induction of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and surface ships to achieve higher endurance and long reach.

The purpose of the technology perspective capability roadmap is to direct the industry's potential path towards technological growth. "The industry is given an overview of the equipment that is anticipated to be incorporated into the Indian armed forces through the end of the 2030s by the TPCR-2025," said the document. The industry is expected to use the roadmap as guidance when organising or starting partnerships, production agreements, and technology development for the defence sector.

"Indian industry should prioritise the government's Make-in-India initiative while pursuing any partnerships or developments. The ministry of defence is dedicated to supporting the government's efforts to build up domestic production capacity in both the public and private sectors," said the TPCR-2025.

For the Navy, the TPCR-2025 has outlined 5-10 next-generation destroyers (NGD), 7 next-generation corvettes (NGC) fitted with anti-ship, anti-submarine and close-in weapons and sensors, 12 unmanned mine countermeasure (MCM) suites, 100 next-generation fast interceptor crafts (NGFIC), 20 remotely manned fast interceptor crafts, shore-based anti-ship missiles with a range of 250 km and 20 high-endurance autonomous underwater vehicles (HEAUV) for anti-submarine warfare, among others.

For the Indian Army, the TPCR-2025 outlines the requirement of 1,700-1,800 future tanks to replace the T-72 tank fleet to operate along the northern and western borders, 300-400 light tanks, several kinds of drones, unmanned aerial vehicle-launched precision-guided missiles (ULPGMs), and an air-to-air missile system for helicopters. It also outlines air-to-surface missiles that can be fired from drones and the high-power electromagnetic weapon system for both the Army and the Indian Air Force will be required.

For the Indian Air Force, the TPCR-2025 outlined the requirement of a stratospheric airship and 200-250 air-launched precision long-range attack cruise missiles with a range of 250 km and equipped with a 50 kg explosive warhead that can be modified to carry other payloads, such as infrared target-seeking and guidance devices. According to the TPCR-2025 outline, the IAF needs to acquire attack cruise missiles that can be guided by GPS and are able to loiter over the target area before confirming the target through real-time visual intelligence.