Rajnath Singh Clears New Rules to Open MoD Test Facilities for Defence Industry

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a revised SOP for defence industry use of testing sites run by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). SOP stands for Standard Operating Procedure, which is a fixed set of rules on how something must be done. The new rules decide how Indian defence companies can book and use proof ranges, field firing ranges and laboratory test facilities owned by the government.

The aim is simple. The government wants to make it easier, quicker and more open for private and public sector companies to test the weapons, equipment and systems they are building for the armed forces.

Biggest change: testing charges waived

The most important change in the new rules is that proof and testing charges have been waived for several government-backed development programmes. These include projects under:

• iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence)

• Technology Development Fund (TDF)

• Make category projects

• Other development projects of the Ministry of Defence

This means companies working on these projects will no longer have to pay to test their products at MoD ranges and labs. The ministry said the step is meant to support Atmanirbharta in defence, or self-reliance, and to help Indian firms develop new products without extra cost.

iDEX is a scheme that funds start-ups and small firms to solve problems faced by the armed forces. The TDF is run by DRDO and gives money to Indian industry, especially smaller companies, to develop defence technology. Make projects are those where Indian companies design and develop equipment for the forces under the Defence Acquisition Procedure.

What else the new SOP covers

The revised SOP lays out a detailed and simplified process for getting a slot at a test site, along with all the forms that companies need to fill. It also gives a full list of the facilities that industry can now use. These include the DRDO proof ranges and labs, test sites of the Government Quality Assurance agencies, and facilities run by the Army, Navy and Air Force.

For projects that still have to pay, the SOP explains how the charges will be calculated and paid. This is meant to cut down paperwork and avoid confusion.

Three days every quarter kept for development projects

Under the new rules, three days in every quarter will be reserved at proof ranges only for proof firing of development projects. Proof firing is the stage where a weapon or its ammunition is fired to check that it works safely and as designed.

These reserved days can be used for government-sponsored projects such as iDEX, TDF and Make. They are also open to projects that companies take up on their own, without government funding. This gives firms a fixed window to plan their testing, instead of waiting for a free slot.

Faster way to settle disputes

The new SOP also changes how disagreements between the government and companies will be handled. The old rule of going to arbitration has been replaced with a Conciliation Agreement Clause.

In arbitration, a third party hears both sides and gives a decision, which can take a long time. In conciliation, both sides work with a go-between to reach an agreement. The government said this change will help settle industry's issues faster and improve Ease of Doing Business in the defence sector.

Why this matters

Testing is one of the biggest hurdles for companies that build defence equipment. Most large firing ranges and specialised labs in India are owned by the government, and private firms, especially start-ups, often find it hard and costly to get access. By opening up its ranges and labs in a clearer way and removing fees for key programmes, the government hopes more Indian companies will be able to take their products from the drawing board to the battlefield.

The ministry said the framework will boost defence indigenisation, encourage new ideas and support defence exports. It will also make India's defence testing infrastructure more useful for the companies that are building equipment for the country's forces.

The step is part of the government's wider push to cut India's dependence on imported weapons and build a strong home-grown defence industry. Over the past few years, the ministry has released positive indigenisation lists, raised the share of the capital budget kept for Indian firms and opened up more defence production to the private sector. The revised SOP for defence industry adds to these efforts by solving a practical problem that many companies face: getting their products tested on time and at a fair cost.

The ministry has not yet shared the date from which the new rules will come into force.