An Insight into Indian Defence Sector

As the year ends, Subbu Venkatachalam, Head, Marketing, Carborundum Universal Ltd (CUMI), a pioneering organization in the field of material sciences and part of the 120-year-old Murugappa Group, reflects on the recent positive developments in the Indian defence sector. “The Indian defence sector has been making the news for all the right reasons recently, whether it is international collaborations or new technologies. India’s ambition to achieve self-reliance in the defence industry through initiatives such as Aatmanirbhar Bharat or Make in India has ignited patriotic support from industry, and the sights are set on expanding the country’s role in defence exports,” he states. “The Government’s embargo on certain defence exports, including bullet-proof vests and armored fighting vehicles, gives an impetus to armor material manufacturers in the country.”

Materials science plays an immensely critical role in imagining defence products and enabling local sourcing and manufacturing. “With our strong legacy of being in the material sciences industry for almost 70 years, we look forward to playing a part in shaping India’s destiny by contributing to a strong and self-reliant defence sector,” he continues. “CUMI’s wide range of materials includes lightweight ceramic ballistic protection for personal and vehicle armor, composites for UAVs, ceramics for missiles and submarines, and futuristic materials like graphene and phase-change materials that enable innovation in defence applications.”

Stressing that the company not only offers indigenous end-to-end integration across its manufacturing and supply chain, but has also invested in R&D efforts, Venkatachalam shares, “In March 2023, we signed a licensing Agreement for Transfer of Technology (ToT) with DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI) Laboratory for technology to manufacture ‘Ceramic Radomes (GELCAST Process) Technology’ used in missile systems. We are ramping up our new-age materials manufacturing capacity to meet the rising demand for materials for defence.”

On a promising note, he says, “As India continues its quest to achieve self-reliance in defence, we are excited about the opportunity to participate in India’s imminent defence growth story.”