The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar, recently marked the opening of Nibe Defence and Aerospace Limited’s new manufacturing facility in Pune, Maharashtra. With an emphasis on the indigenization of defence equipment production, the event demonstrated the important role the Indian Navy plays in fostering self-reliance in the defence industry.

Nibe Aerospace and Defense: A Major Role

One well-known medium-sized and small business in the defence industry is Nibe Defence and Aerospace Limited. The company has taken a leading role in several important projects, such as developing road-mobile missile launchers, canisters for vertical missile launchers, and launchers for the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher systems.

Admiral R Hari Kumar acknowledged the quick development of Nibe Defence and Aerospace Limited during the inauguration. In order to increase the nation’s self-reliance in defence production, he underlined the vital role that sophisticated machinery and equipment play.

“A very significant skill developed in a very short period of time… Thus, Atma Nirbharta has amazing potential in this area. Admiral R Hari Kumar stated that “you need the equipment, the machines, if you want to make defence equipment in the country.”

“This is a fully automated facility and it will make a substantial difference in the ability to make weapon-grade equipment for ships, airframes, weapon systems on board ships or submarines, torpedo tubes and anything that requires very high precision,” he stated.

State-of-the-Art Facility

The recently established manufacturing facility is fully automated and furnished with cutting-edge technologies. The production capacity of weapon-grade equipment for ships, airframes, weapon systems on board ships or submarines, torpedo tubes, and other precise instruments is anticipated to be greatly increased.

The Naval Force’s Self-Reliance Vision

Admiral Kumar reaffirmed the Indian Navy’s goal of producing enough defence material on its own by 2047. He underlined how crucial industry cooperation is to reaching this objective.

upcoming naval operations

Major naval exercises between the fleets of the two aircraft carriers, INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, will take place off the coast of California in the next 10 days, according to Admiral Hari Kumar. This operationalization will serve as another evidence of the navy’s readiness and capability.

From February 19 to 27, Visakhapatnam will host the 2024 edition of the Multilateral Naval Exercise (MILAN) conducted by the Indian Navy (IN). A range of activities will be included in the exercise, such as tactical manoeuvres, seamanship drills, and simulations of intricate operational scenarios.

“We have committed to our national leadership that till 2047 tuck, we will become Atma Nirbhar, and for that, we require the help of industry,” he stated.

The Indian Navy would conduct significant operations involving the fleets of both of its aircraft carriers off the West coast in the next ten days, R Hari Kumar stated earlier in an interview with ANI.

He claimed that during “Exercise Milan,” both aircraft carriers—INS Vikramaditya and the made-in-India INS Vikrant—would be present in Visakhapatnam, but the twin carrier activities would not be visible for ten days.

“For Exercise Milan, both carriers will be present. But in ten days, the carriers will be operationalized, integrated into the fleet, and the fleet will participate, according to the Navy head.

After Exercise Milan was over, he added, “The escort ships and carriers will all head to the western seaboard. We intend to incorporate them.

“At the moment, the Western Seaboard is seeing an unusually high level of operation due to the deployment of 10 of our ships for anti-drone measures and an additional 3–4 ships for anti-piracy operations. Earlier, this wasn’t the case,” the Navy head declared.

An important turning point in the indigenisation of the defence industry in India has been reached with the opening of the Nibe Defence and Aerospace manufacturing facility. Developing the Indian Navy’s capacity for self-sufficiency and industrial partnership are critical milestones in enhancing the nation’s defence capabilities.