The first-ever project under the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) inked between India and US, for lightweight protective clothing for soldiers, have received a green signal from the Indian Defence Ministry. The initial fund granted for the project is around Rs. 300 crore which may go up, given that protective clothing for the entire Indian army is being planned. Reports claim that the clearance of a plan to acquire chemical and biological resistant clothing is a part of the army’s modernization plans for the current five-year plan.
Under the initiative, the project is being named Uniform Integrated Protection Ensemble – Increment 2 (UIPE I2), and will see association of US-based companies with an Indian partner for the new-generation clothing for soldiers. The Indian partner is expected to be a state-owned unit but a private partner has not been discarded yet.
