Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), consisting of the Indian Ordnance Factories, now known as Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination & Services) was an organisation, under the Department of Defence Production (DDP) of
Ministry of Defence (MoD),
Government of India
The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
. The 41 Indian Ordnance Factories have been converted into 7 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).
OFB was the 37th-largest
defence equipment manufacturer in the world, 2nd-largest in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
, and the largest in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
. OFB was the world's largest government-operated production organisation, and the oldest organisation in India. It had a total workforce of about 80,000.
It was often called the "Fourth Arm of Defence", and the "Force Behind the Armed Forces" of India. Its total sales were at () in the year 2020–'21.
It was engaged in research, development, production, testing, marketing and logistics of a product range in the areas of air, land and sea systems. OFB consisted of forty-one ordnance factories, nine training institutes, three regional marketing centres and four regional controllerates of safety, which are spread all across the country.
Every year, 18 March is celebrated as the Ordnance Factory Day in India.
History
Origins
The Indian Ordnance Factories predate all the other organisations like the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the Land warfare, land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Arm ...
and the
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...
by over a century. The first Indian ordnance factory can trace its origins back to the year 1712 when the Dutch
Ostend Company established a Gun Powder Factory in Ichhapur.
In 1787, another
gunpowder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). T ...
factory was established at
Ichapore
Ichapore or Ichhapur is a locality in North Barrackpur Municipality of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). Ichhapur Defence Esta ...
; it began production in 1791, and the site was later used as a rifle factory, beginning in 1904. In 1801, Gun Carriage Agency (now known as Gun & Shell Factory, Cossipore) was established at
Cossipore, Calcutta, and production began on 18 March 1802. This is the oldest ordnance factory in India still in existence.
Contributions
The Indian Ordnance Factories have not only supported India through the wars, but also played an important role in building India, with the advancement of technology, and have ushered the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
in India, starting with the
first modern steel, aluminium, copper plants of India,
first modern electric textile mill of India,
first chemical industries of India, established the
first engineering colleges of India, as its training schools,
[https://www.educationforallinindia.com/1949%20Report%20of%20the%20University%20Education%20Commission.pdf ] sparked
India's first war of independence in 1857 with its rifles and bullets, and also played key role in the founding of research and industrial organisations like
ISRO
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman o ...
,
DRDO,
BDL
Bradley International Airport is a public international airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, United States. Owned and operated by the Connecticut Airport Authority, it is the second-largest airport in New England.
The airport is about halfw ...
,
BEL BEL can be an abbreviation for:
* The ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code for Belgium
* ''BEL'' or bell character in the C0 control code set
* Belarusian language, in the ISO 639-2 and SIL country code lists
* Bharat Electronics Limited, an Indian sta ...
,
BEML,
SAIL, etc.
Timeline
* 1712 – Establishment of the Dutch
Ostend Company's Gun Powder Factory at
Ichhapur.
* 1775 – Establishment of the Board of Ordnance at
Fort William, Kolkata.
* 1787 – Establishment of the Gun Powder Factory at Ishapore.
* 1791 – Production of Gun Powder begins at Ishapore.
* 1801 – Establishment of Gun Carriage Agency at Cossipore, Kolkata.
* 1802 – Production begins at Cossipore on 18 March.
* 1935 – Indian Ordnance Service was introduced to administer the whole Defence Production Industry of India.
* 1954 – Indian Ordnance Service (IOS) renamed to
Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS).
* 1979 – Ordnance Factory Board is established on 2 April.
Restructuring OFB into seven PSUs
On 17 June 2021, the Defence Ministry announced its plans to split the existing five operating divisions of OFB, in addition to parachutes and opto-electronics, into seven PSUs, wholly owned by the government. It was mentioned that all existing factories and employees will become a part of these seven PSUs. From 1 October 2021, OFB has been dissolved and all the management, control, operations and maintenance has been transferred to 7 newly formed Defence PSUs, namely:
*
Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWE)
*
Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVANI)
*
Gliders India Limited (GIL)
*
India Optel Limited (IOL)
*
Munitions India Limited (MIL)
*
Troop Comforts Limited (TCL)
*
Yantra India Limited (YIL)
The new companies were launched and dedicated to the nation on 15 October 2021.
Infrastructure and leadership of OFB
Headquarters
* Ordnance Factory Board, Kolkata
* Armoured Vehicles Headquarters, Chennai
* Ordnance Equipment Factories Headquarters, Kanpur
* Ordnance Factory Board, New Delhi Office
* Ordnance Factory Cell, Mumbai
* Ordnance Factories Recruitment Centre, Nagpur
Apex Board
The Apex Board was headed by the Director General of Ordnance Factories (DGOF), who acts as the Chairman of the board (ex officio
Secretary to Government of India) and consisted of nine other members, who each held the rank of Additional DGOF. Ordnance factories were divided into five operating divisions, depending upon the type of the main products/technologies employed. These were:
* Ammunition and Explosives
* Weapons, Vehicles & Equipment
* Materials and Components
* Armoured Vehicles
* Ordnance Equipment Group of Factories
Each of the above group of factories was headed by a Member/Additional DGOF who was in the rank of Special Secretary to Government of India. The four remaining members were responsible for staff functions, viz personnel, finance, planning and material management, and technical services, and they operated from Kolkata.
Ordnance factories
Each ordnance factory was headed by a General Manager who is in the rank of
Additional Secretary to the Government of India
Additional Secretary (often abbreviated as AS, GoI or Union Additional Secretary or Additional Secretary to Government of India) is a post and a rank under the Central Staffing Scheme of the Government of India. The authority for creation of t ...
.
Training institutes, regional centres and controllerates
*
National Academy of Defence Production
National Academy of Defence Production provides training to the IOFS officers in areas of technology, management, public administration as induction and re-orientation courses.
There were Ordnance Factories Institutes of Learning (OFILs) in Ambajhari, Ambernath, Avadi, Dehradun, Ishapore, Khamaria, Kanpur and Medak. Each OFIL was headed by a principal director, and NADP by a senior principal director. NADP provided training to Group A officers, whilst the other eight institutes imparted training to Group B and Group C employees of the ordnance factories.
OFB had Regional marketing centres and Regional controllerates of safety as well.
Joint Ventures
In 2017, the Department of Defence Production under the
Ministry of Defence opened itself to for Joint Ventures with OFB and DRDO was also tasked with identifying their products and patents, with the scope of commercial production
*
Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), Amethi
A joint venture between Ordnance Factory Board (50.5%),
Kalashnikov Concern (42%) and
Rosonboronexport (7.5%) established to produce AK-203 (7.62×39mm) assault rifles intended for Indian Security Forces.
Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
The
Indian Ordnance Factories Service (
IOFS) is a civil service of the Government of India. IOFS officers are
Gazetted (Group A) defence-civilian officers under the Ministry of Defence.
IOFS is a multi-disciplinary composite cadre consisting of technical – engineers (
civil,
electrical,
mechanical
Mechanical may refer to:
Machine
* Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement
* Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations ...
,
electronics
The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...
), technologists (
aerospace
Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and ast ...
,
automotive,
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military ...
,
industrial/product design,
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ( computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These prog ...
,
nuclear
Nuclear may refer to:
Physics
Relating to the nucleus of the atom:
*Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear physics
*Nuclear power
*Nuclear reactor
*Nuclear weapon
*Nuclear medicine
*Radiation therapy
*Nuclear warfare
Mathematics
*Nuclear space
*Nuclear ...
,
optical,
chemical,
metallurgical,
textile
Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, different #Fabric, fabric types, etc. At f ...
,
leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...
) and non-technical/administrative (
science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...
,
law,
commerce
Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, natio ...
,
management
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activitie ...
and
arts graduates). Technical posts account for about 87% of the total cadre. The doctors (
surgeons and
physicians) serving in OFB belong to a separate service known as the Indian Ordnance Factories Health Service (IOFHS). IOFHS officers are responsible for the maintenance of health of the employees, and the hospitals of OFB. They report directly to the IOFS officers. IOFS and IOFHS are the only two civil services under the Department of Defence Production.
Products
The type of ordnance material produced is very diverse, including various
small arms to
missile
In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket ...
s,
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entir ...
s,
bombs,
grenades,
military vehicles,
armoured vehicles,
chemicals,
optical devices,
parachutes,
mortars,
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...
pieces plus all associated
ammunition
Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other we ...
,
propellants,
explosives and
fuses.
Civilian products
Civilians are required to hold an Arms License (issued only for non-prohibited bore category weapons) in order to buy firearms in India. The following products of the Indian Ordnance Factories Board are available for civilians:
Arms
*
IOF .22 revolver
*
IOF .32 revolver
IOF .32 Revolver (also known as IOF 32 Revolver) is a 6-shot handgun designed and manufactured by the Ordnance Factories Organization in India and is meant for short range.
Design
The revolver is a 'Break Action' self-extracting revolver and uses ...
(7.65 mm X 23)
*
IOF .32 revolver Nirbheek
*
IOF .32 pistol Ashani
*
IOF .22 sporting rifle
*
IOF .315 sporting rifle
*
IOF .30-06 sporting rifle
Ammunition
* Cartridge Rimfire .22" Ball
* Cartridge SA .32" Revolver
* Cartridge SA .315" and .30-06 Ball
* Cartridge SA 12 Bore 70mm
* Cartridge SA 12 Bore 65 mm Special
Military Products
These products are exclusively manufactured for use by the armed forces and are not sold to civilians.
Customers
Armed Forces
The prime customers of Indian Ordnance Factories were the
Indian Armed Forces viz. Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. Apart from supplying armaments to the Armed Forces, Ordnance Factories also meet the requirements of other customers viz. the
Central Armed Police Forces
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) is the collective name of central police organisations in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). These are technically paramilitary forces formerly known as Central Para-Military Forces (CPMF). Sinc ...
,
State Armed Police Forces
The State Armed Police Forces of India are the police units established for dealing with serious law and order situations requiring a higher level of armed expertise than normal. The State Armed Police Forces exist in addition to the ordinary po ...
,
Paramilitary Forces of India and the
Special Forces of India in respect of arms, ammunition, clothing, bullet proof vehicles, mine protected vehicles etc.
Civil trade
Customers are in the civil sector, central/state government organisations and departments such as
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...
,
Indian Space Research Organisation,
Defence Research and Development Organisation,
Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre,
Nuclear Fuel Complex,
Aeronautical Development Agency,
Department of Atomic Energy,
Department of Telecommunications, and State Electricity Boards.
Public Sector Undertakings in India (PSUs) such as
HMT Limited
HMT Limited, formerly Hindustan Machine Tools Limited, is a state owned company under the control of the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India. It was founded in 1953 as a machine tool manufacturing company, diversifying into watc ...
,
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited,
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is an Indian central public sector undertaking. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India. It is based in New Delhi, India. Established in 1956, BHEL is India' ...
,
Bharat Dynamics Limited, private companies and individuals etc. who purchased industrial chemicals, explosives, arms, ammunition, brass ingots, aluminium alloy products for aircraft, steel castings and forgings, vehicles, clothing and leather goods, cables and opto-electronic instruments.
Exports
Arms and ammunition, weapon spares, chemicals and explosives, parachutes, leather and clothing items were exported to more than 30 countries worldwide.
* Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, Nepal, Singapore
* Europe: Germany, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Sweden, France, Switzerland, United Kingdom
* Middle East: Oman, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE
* Africa: Kenya, Botswana, Nigeria
* North and South America: United States, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Suriname
Notable employees
*
Narinder Singh Kapany – Former
IOFS officer. Invented
fibre optics that revolutionised laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery, telecommunications, power transmission, etc. Named as one of the seven "Unsung Heroes of the 20th century" by
Fortune magazine for his
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
-deserving invention. Known as the "Father of Fibre Optics" and "The Man who Bent Light".
Former Professor at
Stanford, Universities of California at
Berkeley,
Santa Barbara and
Santa Cruz. Had more than 150 patents to his credit.
Conferred upon with
Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest honour in India,
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman,
Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng). He was also offered the post of
Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister of India, by the first Prime Minister of India,
Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India du ...
.
*
Nalini Ranjan Mohanty - Former
IOFS officer. Secured All India 2nd Rank in the Engineering Services Examination of 1965, served as the Chairman & Managing Director of
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Director of
Kudremukh Iron Ore Company,
Mahanadi Coalfields
Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) is one of the major coal producing company of India. It is one of the eight subsidiaries of Coal India Limited. Mahanadi Coalfields Limited was carved out of South Eastern Coalfields Limited in 1992 with its h ...
,
National Aluminium Company (NALCO),
Bharat Earth Movers (BEML). Awarded
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
in 2004 by the
Government of India
The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
for his role in the development of
LCA – Tejas.
*
Brijmohan Lall Munjal
Brijmohan Lall Munjal (1 July 1923 – 1 November 2015) was an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of Hero Group.
Early life
Munjal was born on 1 July 1923 in Kamalia, undivided India, which is located in the Toba Tek Singh District of present-d ...
- Founder of
Hero MotoCorp, the world's largest two-wheeler manufacturer, and
Hero Cycles, world's largest cycle manufacturer. Awarded
Padma Bhushan.
*
H. P. S. Ahluwalia –
IOFS. First Indian to climb
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow hei ...
. Author, mountaineer, social worker. Founder & Chairman of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre. Conferred on with the
Arjuna Award,
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
and
Padma Bhushan by the Government of India,
Fellowship of Royal Geographical Society (FRGS). Also served as a Commissioned officer in the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the Land warfare, land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Arm ...
and Member of
Planning Commission (India).
*
Santu Shahaney - IOFS. Served as the Director General Ordnance Factories (DGOF). He was awarded
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
in 1962, and
Padma Bhushan in 1965, by the
Government of India
The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
, in the Civil Service category, for his contributions during the
Indo-China War of 1962
The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tibe ...
and the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, respectively.
[https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/Year_Wise_main_25042017_0.pdf ]
*
R. M. Muzumdar - IOFS. Second Indian Director General of the Indian Ordnance Factories. He was awarded the
Padma Bhushan by the Government of India, in 1973, in the Civil service category, for his contributions during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
*
Waman Dattatreya Patwardhan - IOFS officer. Developed the solid propellant for India's first space rocket launched from Thumba, and the detonation system of India's first nuclear bomb used in
Operation Smiling Buddha. Served at the Ammunition Factory Khadki, and as the first Director of
High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) and the
Armaments Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) of the
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Awarded
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
in 1974.
*
H. G. S. Murthy - IOFS. Known as one of the "Seven Pioneers of the Indian Space Programme". He served at the Machine Tool Prototype Factory (MTPF), Ambernath, and as the first Director of the
Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), and the Space Science & Technology Centre, now known as the
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, of the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Awarded
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
in 1969.
*K. C. Banerjee - IOFS. Received
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
in 1967, for his contributions during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, as the General Manager of
Rifle Factory Ishapore, that developed and manufactured the
7.62 Self-Loading Automatic Rifle, that played decisive role in India's victory in the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
*
O. P. Bahl, an
IOFS officer. Received
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
in 1972, in the civil-service category, as the General Manager of
Ammunition Factory Khadki, which developed and manufactured the
anti-submarine rockets used in sinking the submarine
PNS Ghazi during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
References
{{Authority control
Military of India
Manufacturing companies based in Kolkata
Firearm manufacturers of India
Government-owned companies of India
Military research installations of India
Defence companies of India
Automotive companies of India
Chemical companies of India
Electronics companies of India
Steel companies of India
Textile companies of India
Defence agencies of India
Ministry of Defence (India)