The story of Bharat Forge’s rise in India’s defence manufacturing landscape is a compelling account of perseverance, frustration, and eventual vindication. What was once dismissed and even laughed at—an Indian private firm showcasing a homemade artillery gun—has now become a centerpiece of India’s Make in India defence ambitions.
Back in 2012, when Bharat Forge displayed its artillery gun at a defence exhibition in Delhi, army officials barely gave it a second glance. It wasn’t a question of quality; it was disbelief that a private Indian company could produce something as complex as a gun. The prevailing mindset at the time was deeply wedded to foreign imports and public sector monopolies. This skepticism, as Chairman Baba Kalyani recalls, reflected not a technical failing but a systemic bias against domestic private industry.
The seeds of Bharat Forge’s entry into the defence sector were sown not through grand strategy but through necessity and intuition. After the 2008 financial crisis, Kalyani saw an opportunity: if artillery guns are largely about metallurgy and forging—areas where Bharat Forge already had world-class expertise—why not build them? His military school background and contacts in the armed forces only strengthened his resolve. But the system was stacked against him. Defence was still largely a government-controlled domain, and efforts to gain entry were met with indifference. Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s referral to Defence Minister A.K. Antony led nowhere.
The breakthrough came only with the Modi government’s Make in India campaign in 2014. Then-Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar rewrote the rules with the 2016 Defence Procurement Procedure, opening doors for the private sector for the first time. Kalyani's long-standing belief that India could produce advanced weaponry indigenously finally found policy support.
And the results speak for themselves. Bharat Forge now makes artillery systems in India at half the cost of imports—with Indian materials, by Indian engineers. Its journey is symbolic of a broader ideological and economic shift in Indian defence policy: from import dependence and public sector overreach to private sector empowerment and strategic autonomy.
Kalyani’s remarks also highlight a sobering truth: that for decades, innovation was throttled by bureaucracy, distrust, and policy inertia. His company’s long wait—from 1976 efforts to 2014 approvals—shows how systemic change, while slow, is vital for self-reliance.
Today, Bharat Forge isn’t just a defence supplier. It’s a case study in how conviction, backed by capability, can eventually rewrite the rules of engagement. What was once laughed at is now shaping India’s defence narrative.
