India stands at the threshold of a significant milestone in defence self-reliance with the near-completion of its indigenous 155mm artillery ammunition development program. This comprehensive initiative, spearheaded by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Development cum Production Partner (DcPP) framework, represents a strategic shift towards reducing foreign dependency in critical defence capabilities.
The project has successfully developed and tested four variants of artillery ammunition over the past two years, with final user trials scheduled for November 2025, positioning India to meet its substantial domestic demand estimated at ₹10,000 crore over the next decade while simultaneously exploring significant export opportunities.
The development of indigenous artillery ammunition emerges from India’s broader strategic imperative to achieve self-reliance in defence manufacturing, particularly in light of growing regional security challenges and supply chain vulnerabilities.
The initiative represents part of a larger transformation in India’s defence manufacturing landscape, where the government has undertaken systematic reforms to encourage indigenous design, development, and manufacture of defence equipment. This transformation has been supported by substantial investment in research and development, with DRDO allocating over ₹37,985 crore across 282 projects between 2019 and 2022, demonstrating the government’s commitment to building indigenous defence capabilities.
The artillery ammunition project specifically addresses critical gaps in India’s defence preparedness, as the military has long struggled with dwindling ammunition stockpiles and delays in imports.
The broader context includes the Army’s mega ₹15,000 crore ammunition production project involving 11 private firms, designed to create sufficient inventory for a 30-day war scenario while reducing import dependence. This comprehensive approach to ammunition indigenisation reflects lessons learned from past conflicts and the recognition that sustained defence capabilities require robust domestic manufacturing ecosystems.
India’s journey toward ammunition self-reliance has been shaped by decades of import dependency and associated vulnerabilities. The current initiative builds upon earlier policy reforms, including the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives, which have fundamentally restructured the defence procurement landscape.
The Development cum Production Partner program represents a particularly innovative approach, allowing DRDO to handhold domestic private sector industries and improve their development and production capabilities for complex defence systems. This model has already demonstrated success with projects like the VL-SRSAM and Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), providing a proven framework for the artillery ammunition development.
The indigenous artillery ammunition development encompasses four distinct variants, each designed to meet specific operational requirements of the Indian Army. The high explosive rounds form the backbone of conventional artillery engagement capabilities, providing the primary kinetic effect against hardened targets and personnel concentrations.
These rounds have undergone extensive testing to ensure they match or exceed existing specifications, with particular attention to accuracy, range, and terminal effectiveness. The development process has involved rigorous quality control measures and performance validation to ensure the ammunition meets international standards while remaining cost-effective for large-scale production.
The smoke rounds represent a critical tactical capability, enabling forces to create visual obscuration for movement and concealment operations. These specialized munitions require precise engineering to ensure consistent performance across varying environmental conditions and deployment scenarios.
The dual-purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM) rounds constitute the most sophisticated variant, designed to burst into submunitions at predetermined altitudes to engage area targets effectively. This technology represents a significant advancement in India’s ammunition capabilities, providing commanders with enhanced flexibility in engaging dispersed targets and enemy formations.
The testing regime for these ammunition variants has been comprehensive, spanning two years of development and validation phases. Each variant has undergone ballistic testing, environmental stress testing, and compatibility verification with existing artillery systems.
The ammunition has been designed to be compatible with advanced artillery systems like ATAGS, which features a firing range of 48 km and can accommodate various charge configurations up to Zone 7 bi-modular systems. The integration between ammunition and delivery systems ensures optimal performance while maintaining safety standards throughout the operational envelope.
The Development cum Production Partner program represents a paradigm shift in how India approaches defence manufacturing, moving from traditional procurement models to collaborative development frameworks.
The selection of Jai Ammunition Limited, owned by Reliance Infrastructure, and state-owned Yantra India Limited as implementation partners demonstrates the hybrid public-private approach being adopted for critical defence projects. This partnership model leverages the innovation capacity of private industry while maintaining strategic oversight through established defence public sector undertakings.
Reliance Infrastructure’s broader commitment to defence manufacturing is exemplified by its establishment of the Dhirubhai Ambani Defence City (DADC) in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, representing a ₹10,000 crore investment over ten years.
Yantra India Limited brings significant expertise in ammunition manufacturing, having recently secured major export orders for artillery ammunition with ranges exceeding 40km. The company’s success in international markets demonstrates its technical capabilities and quality standards, which are now being applied to the indigenous development program.
YIL’s experience in manufacturing empty ammunition rounds and its established relationships with ordnance factories for explosive filling provide a comprehensive manufacturing ecosystem for the new ammunition variants. The company’s recent export achievements, involving tens of thousands of rounds, validate its production capacity and quality control systems.
India’s indigenous artillery ammunition development represents a watershed moment in the country’s defence manufacturing capabilities, marking a transition from import dependency to self-reliance in critical military technologies. The successful development of four ammunition variants through the innovative Development cum Production Partner framework demonstrates the effectiveness of collaborative approaches to defence manufacturing. The program’s strategic significance extends beyond immediate military requirements, establishing technological foundations and industrial capabilities that will support India’s long-term defence autonomy.
IDN (With Inputs From ET News)
Agencies
