Why India cant make it's Own Rifles?

By

Sandeep Ghosh

This is a very important and in a way exceptionally shameful question for the entire country of India. A country that has a successful space program cannot make an assault rifle, a decent sporter rifle or even a good handgun.

Firearms "problem in India"

Ordinance Factory board of India: OFB India is involved in every possible equipment it can get it;s hands on , from fire arms to uniforms, from parachutes to raincoats, from boots to bags, from howitzers to droptanks. OFB India contrary to imagination isn't a conventional firearms manufacturer but a group manufacturing units working under this name. In other words there is no consolidated PSU unit specializing, in manufacturing, testing, research, validation, production and maintaining profitability through firearms,accessories and ammunition.

Quality of OFB: Firearms especially small arms are not the bread winners for OFB, hence when it comes to managers posting profit, they would prefer doing it through bofors, IFg's, shells and aircraft broptanks and parachutes, instead of firearms which are a small margin, small ticket item. OFB knows there will be no competition from private sector, and it will never be in a position to compete with the foriegn players at the high end stuff. So it has it's eye set on piggybacking on the MoD's back, buy stuff from berreta or colt and then technology transfer, where the foreign partner will set up all the manufacturing lines, and all the OFB will do is press an button.

Lack of Private Players: The most important factor for any industry is the access to the market. Small American manufacturers thrive from their domestic as well as export market (civilian/law enforcement/military), whereas european and chinese manufacturers thrive on the export market. India on contrary doesn't allow either for the civilian manufacturers to participate in domestic market or in export business. There is no domestic market in India and under the pretext of "law" which btw was a set in british period. In other words the domestic firearms market is a hell, compounding the matter is the red tape bureaucracy which will not let private firms collaborate or export any defence related articles, making the entry of a private player impossible.

It is indeed shameful that a country like India doesn't have the foresight in it's own defense sector.