Indian Defence Ministry’s Latest Positive Indigenisation List: The Department of Defence Production under the Ministry of Defence in India has released its sixth Positive Indigenisation List. This catalogue identifies 405 strategically important defence items that are intended to be manufactured domestically rather than imported from overseas suppliers. The initiative forms part of the broader national strategy known as Aatmanirbhar Bharat, which translates to self-reliant India, aiming to build up domestic industrial capabilities within the military sector.
The newly announced list features an estimated business potential of approximately $320 million USD (Rs 3,070 crore). The items included are diverse, ranging from small components and raw materials to complex military hardware. Specifically, the notification covers 16 items designated for the Indian Coast Guard and 389 items required by Defence Public Sector Undertakings.
Scope of Military Equipment Targeted
The items detailed in the sixth list cover a wide spectrum of defence platforms and tactical systems. Key categories include air platforms such as Advanced Light Helicopters, Light Utility Helicopters, Su-30MKI fighter jets, Light Combat Aircraft, and AL-31FP aero engines. Armoured vehicles like the T-72, T-90, and BMP-II series are also included alongside various naval warships.
Furthermore, the list targets crucial missile systems such as the Konkurs-M, Invar, and Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile systems. Advanced defence electronics, including tactical radars, sonars, fire control systems, and satellite communication equipment, alongside High Explosive Anti-Tank ammunition, complete the scheduled components.
Indian Army’s T-72 MBT.
Implementation via the SRIJAN Portal
The detailed schedule of items is published on the official SRIJAN Defence Portal. Each listed product comes with an indicative timeline indicating when domestic production is expected to begin. Once local companies successfully develop these components, procurement contracts will be awarded to domestic industries.
Defence Public Sector Undertakings and the Coast Guard will manage this indigenisation process through multiple pathways. These include structured ‘Make’ procedures and in-house manufacturing development, encouraging active participation from local enterprises, particularly micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
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Progress and Historical Import Substitution
Since the creation of the SRIJAN Defence Portal in August 2020, the platform has functioned as a central database where service headquarters and state-owned defence firms offer items to commercial manufacturers for domestic creation. Up to June 2026, the portal has hosted over 33,000 items for local development consideration.
Government data indicates that across the first five Positive Indigenisation Lists, 5,012 items were previously notified. Over the past five years, more than 15,700 total defence items have been successfully indigenised, generating an estimated import substitution value of roughly $94.74 million USD (Rs 9,000 crore). Additionally, domestic defence firms have allocated procurement orders worth approximately $105.26 million USD (Rs 10,000 crore) to local commercial vendors up to March 2026.
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