India has indigenised over 90% of its ammunition variants and inaugurated massive shell production facilities, giving it the capacity to sustain prolonged conflicts.

India’s ammunition supply chain has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, driven by the urgency of preparing for prolonged, high-intensity conflicts. Modern wars, from Ukraine to the Middle East, have shown that the decisive factor is not merely advanced weapons but the ability to sustain firepower over months of attrition.

For India, the question of whether it has enough shells for a long war is now central to its defence preparedness.

India has indigenised 159 of 175 ammunition variants used by the Army, covering pistols, rifles, machine guns, artillery shells, rockets, tank rounds, and precision-guided munitions. Nearly 90 per cent of the Army’s ammunition requirements are now met domestically, a sharp reversal from decades of import dependence.

This shift has been enabled by reforms in procurement, private-sector participation, and long-term contracts that have given industry confidence to invest in large-scale production capacity.

The Ordnance Factories and private defence firms are producing between 25,000 and 30,000 artillery shells per month, with plans to expand output further. New facilities, such as the ₹1,000 crore shell plant in Maharashtra, are capable of producing up to 5 lakh 155mm shells annually.

Private companies and defence Start-Ups are also entering the sector, integrating robotics, AI, and advanced testing systems to accelerate production cycles and ensure quality standards.

The Army currently operates close to 200 ammunition types, and contracts worth ₹16,000 crore are already in place with domestic suppliers, while ₹26,000 crore worth of indigenous supply orders have been placed in the past three years. Vendor diversification ensures that multiple Indian manufacturers can supply the same ammunition type, reducing the risk of bottlenecks. This resilience is critical in wartime, when consumption rates can exceed peacetime projections by several multiples.

The challenge, however, lies in sustaining stocks during a prolonged war. Ukraine has demonstrated that even advanced militaries can face shortages when interceptor and artillery shell reserves run low. For India, the Sudarshan Chakra air defence shield and its layered missile systems will only be effective if ammunition and missile replenishment can keep pace with combat consumption. Defence planners emphasise that “production is deterrence,” meaning industrial capacity itself is a strategic weapon.

India’s ammunition ecosystem is now being reshaped to ensure long-term endurance. Focus areas include strengthening domestic raw material supply chains for propellants and fuses, modernising manufacturing infrastructure, and accelerating technology transfers.

The DRDO continues to work with both public and private industry to indigenise the remaining high-end precision systems. The aim is to build a fully self-sustaining ammunition base that can absorb shocks and sustain operations in a two-front war scenario.

Financially, the scale of investment is significant. Indigenous ammunition contracts worth ₹26,000 crore reflect the government’s commitment to Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence.

The establishment of new plants, expansion of private-sector capacity, and integration of advanced technologies are all part of a ₹1.54 lakh crore defence production ecosystem. This industrial base is designed not only to meet India’s needs but also to position the country as a global supplier of defence consumables.

The real test will come in wartime. Can India replace thousands of shells consumed daily? Can it repair and upgrade systems under fire? Can it sustain a prolonged conflict without foreign supply chains? 

These are the questions that define readiness. India’s progress in indigenisation and capacity expansion suggests it is far better prepared than before, but the demands of a long war will stretch even the most robust supply chains.

India’s ammunition story is no longer about imports and shortages. It is about building resilience, scale, and speed. The ability to keep firing after the first 100, 500, or 1,000 shells is what will determine military power in the wars of tomorrow.

Agencies