- CEO Ashish Kansal Building India’s Defence Future, One Innovation at a Time
- SMPP’s Battle-Ready Gear Sets New Global Standards in Soldier Protection
By Sangeeta Saxena
New Delhi. 15 August 2025. In the year of India’s 79th Independence Day, SMPP has reinforced its commitment to the nation’s self-reliance vision by accelerating its Make in India drive, delivering world-class defence solutions fully designed, developed, and manufactured domestically. The company, known for its cutting-edge bulletproof protection systems and high-strength materials, has focused on indigenising critical components, adopting advanced technologies, and expanding manufacturing capabilities to meet the needs of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies. By reducing dependency on imports and fostering local innovation, SMPP is not only strengthening India’s defence preparedness but also contributing to the nation’s economic growth, technological sovereignty, and strategic independence—embodying the true spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
In an exclusive conversation with Aviation & Defence Universe (ADU), Ashish Kansal, CEO of SMPP, shares insights into the company’s role as a pioneer in India’s indigenous defence manufacturing landscape. From developing world-class ballistic protection gear to venturing into artillery ammunition, drones, and counter-drone systems, SMPP’s journey exemplifies the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” vision. With over three decades of engineering expertise and multiple patents to its credit, the company continues to strengthen India’s self-reliance in critical defence technologies while making a mark in global markets.
ADU. Congratulations on the recent Emergency Procurement 5 order. To begin with, could you share how this milestone reflects SMPP’s overall vision in India’s defence manufacturing journey?
Ashish Kansal. SMPP has always been at the forefront in development of products as per the requirements of the Indian armed forces. The recent EP5 order is for BPJs which can protect against the most lethal Armour Piercing rounds which are being increasingly used by the adversaries in the CI/CT operations. The Advanced ballistic helmets which have been ordered also have an upgraded protection against the lethal Hard Steel Core bullets. The above products were developed as part of the ongoing R&D efforts at SMPP keeping the demands of the forces in mind. The current order is also a testament to the Atamnirbharta policy as the products being supplied are 100% IDDM (Indian designed, developed and manufactured).
SMPP is increasingly looking at introducing more and more advanced solutions for the armed forces which are indigenous. Another such expansion vertical of our company is the manufacturing of large caliber ammunition for the Artillery and Infantry Support Weapons. We have obtained Industrial licence from the Government of India for the manufacturing of all types of Tanks, Artillery Guns, Mortars and Infantry Support weapons ammunition and the Ammunition plant is under construction in an area of 800 Acres of land in Himachal Pradesh.
Besides the Ballistic Protection Products & Ammunition, we are also venturing into the Drone and Counter Drone systems and have got some of our products approved through the recent trials carried out by the Army HQs. Our Vision is thus to touch across maximum critical technologies which can act as a catalyst or the growth of our country towards Atmanirbharta.
ADU. How has SMPP evolved over the years from its inception to becoming a market leader in personal protection systems?
Ashish Kansal. With more than 30 years of engineering experience and the intellectual wisdom of it’s IITian founder, SMPP Ltd is trail blazing its way towards the pinnacle of global competence with its innovative and state-of-the-art products in diverse product verticals. First vertical is of Armour Protection for individual soldiers and for the protection of weapon platforms based on land, air and sea. The second vertical is of Ammunition manufacturing for Artillery and the newly started third vertical into the domain of Drones & Counter Drones. All verticals make their humble contributions in fulfilling the clarion call of our Hon’ble Prime Minister on achieving Atmanirbharta in Defence manufacturing.
In personal protection systems, SMPP has already completed the supply of USD 100 million contract for 1,86,138 Ballistic Jackets to the Indian Army and more than 2,00,000 Ballistic Helmets to various forces. SMPP also won all the four different projects of personal ballistic protection in the Emergency procurement 4 for Bullet Proof Jackets, Advanced Ballistic Helmets, Ballistic Helmets for Sikh soldiers and Ballistic Shields. SMPP has also supplied large quantities of Bullet Proof Jackets to para-military forces like the CRPF, BSF, Assam Rifles, etc.
The company is honored with three distinct National awards for their contributions in Defense R&D. All three were awarded by the three different Defence Ministers of India.
ADU. Can you tell us more about the scale and specifics of the EP-5 order you’ve received from the Ministry of Defence?
Ashish Kansal. The EP-5 order is for 27,700 Bullet Proof Jackets of (NIJ IV/ BIS 6) and for 11,700 Advanced Ballistic Helmets (NIJ III+). The BPJs protect against the most lethal Armour Piercing rounds which are being increasingly used by the adversaries in the CI/CT operations. The Advanced ballistic helmets which have been ordered also have an upgraded protection against the lethal Hard Steel Core bullets.
ADU. What makes the bulletproof jackets and ballistic helmets in this contract different from those available in the global market?
Ashish Kansal. The products being procured under contract offer a much higher level of protection. The BPJs are tested with 6 shots of the most lethal Armour Piercing rounds on a single monolithic plate while usually, the global market asks for just 1-3 bullets per plate of such bullets. The Advanced ballistic helmets are tested with lethal Hard Steel Core bullets whereas the standard helmets in the global market usually only stop pistol ammunition like 9mm bullets.
One of the critical components is the CaraSTOP-B4C Boron Carbide ceramic which is produced in-house by SMPP and the same is also supplied to one of the largest helicopter manufacturer in India and also forms part of the one of the largest global army cargo aircraft for bullet protection.
The ballistic helmets were granted two patents in India and also a patent in the USA for the unique technology used to produce the same.
ADU. SMPP is known for its R&D focus. Could you elaborate on the kind of research and technological innovation that goes into your ballistic protection gear?
Ashish Kansal. We have a very strong R&D Team and our R&D is a continuous process to protect our forces from the evolution of new weapons and the more dangerous types of ammunition being used by our adversaries through the up-gradation of their weapons from time to time. We also carry our R&D to make our kits more and more operationally effective and comfortable to our soldiers.
Some of our designing include the optional requirements of Quick release system, Dynamic weight distribution system and high buoyancy jackets and covers physical requirements like protection area of Soft armour panel (SAP) (Front, back, groin, neck, collar etc) and Hard armour panel (HAP), (Front, Back and side for 360 degree protection), maximum aerial densities of BR panels and total weight of jacket. It also specifies six threat levels faced by Indian Army and Para military (Level 1 to 6).
The adoption of the standard is considered as a milestone in setting minimum performance requirements of bullet resistant jackets and screens their supply so that only acceptable quality reaches the user. The standard has been customised to Indian needs and would eventually lead to reduction in fatal casualties to the security forces wearing such jackets.
ADU. You have many patents to your credit. Could you talk about one or two that have made the biggest impact in operational scenarios?
Ashish Kansal. Today when a soldier is guarding our Nation on the borders or is operating in an intense Counter Insurgency environment, he is imbibed with the ATMAVISHWAS (Self-Confidence), when he is wearing the Bullet Proof Jacket manufactured by SMPP Ltd, because it provides him full ATMASURAKSHA (Self-Protection) through ATMANIRBHARTA (Self-Reliance) and indigenous manufacturing of the Bullet Proof products by SMPP. We have applied for 17 patents out of which 9 have been already granted to us.
The biggest impact has been made by our invention of a Helmet which is the only one of such design in the world and protects a soldiers’ head from the Rifle (Hard Steel Core) bullets of adversaries. While soldiers may survive bullet injuries on other body parts, the hit from a bullet in the head is generally fatal. SMPP has thus, provided the most vulnerable part protection to our soldiers. This is seen from the fact that the casualties of our soldiers in CI environment have reduced drastically since the time we have been supplying our Jackets and Helmets.
ADU. What standards do your products conform to, particularly with regard to protection from armour-piercing rounds and AK-47 Hard Steel Core bullets?
Ashish Kansal. SMPP offers products which conform to all Indian (BIS Standard) and global standards (like NIJ, VPAM etc). SMPP has successfully completed many orders for BPJs which conform to BIS Level 6 which is for protection against the lethal Armour-piercing rounds.
SMPP has also successfully supplied its patented Advanced Ballistic Helmets and Ballistic Helmets with Enhanced protection which provide protection of NIJ III+ which is against the AK 47 Hard Steel Core bullets.
ADU. What role do testing and trials—both in-house and with MoD—play before product induction?
Ashish Kansal. All products manufactured at SMPP undergo strict and rigorous quality control. In addition to the various quality control steps at each stage, SMPP has designed its own unique systems to ensure consistency in product performance. For example, each lot of boron carbide ceramic manufactured undergoes a unique X-Ray screening which has been custom designed to identify existence of any air gaps, inside cracks, holes, low density areas etc. This was developed after years of data compilation and tests. The products also undergo rigorous ballistic tests at the stage of internal inspection and also by the Inspection authorities of the buyer as per the standards of testing.
ADU. SMPP is often cited as a “Make in India” success story. What does Atmanirbhar Bharat mean to you personally and professionally?
Ashish Kansal. SMPP’s flagship product is the Bullet Proofing Protection gears that the company manufactures. In addition to this, SMPP is also renowned as one of the large manufacturers of Ballistic Protection products across the world. We are one among the handful of companies globally that manufactures ceramics of the most advanced category from Boron Carbide which is used for the protection of soldiers as well as for the armouring of Land, Aerial, and Sea weapon platforms.
The Atmanirbharta drive of our Government has given a great opportunity to me and my company on not only indigenisation of some critical defence items, but also being able to export them thereby, living up to the call of our Hon’ble Prime Minister on “Make in India, Make for the World’.
Atmanibharta has also given us an opportunity of entering into the business of Large Caliber Ammunition Manufacturing and in making our contributions in reducing the imports of such ammunition which provides a strategic deterrence value to our Armed Forces.
ADU. Your products are used in over 25 countries. Which markets are you currently exporting to, and are there new international orders in the pipeline?
Ashish Kansal. Internationally, some key projects include 45,000 Nos. bulletproof plates and 60,000 Ballistic helmets to Armenia, a new type of Ballistic jacket to the Philippines, and one of the most challenging vehicle armouring projects in Colombia, in addition to supplies to Europe, USA, UK and others. With an unwavering commitment to quality and timely delivery, SMPP continues to strengthen its presence in both domestic and global defence markets.
SMPP is a trusted leader in delivering Innovative solutions to armed forces worldwide. With a steadfast commitment to quality, the company has established Itself as a reliable partner for defence organizations in over 25 countries. As a market leader In India, It has carved out a niche both domestically and internationally, renowned for cutting-edge products and an unwavering focus on excellence. Quality remains the utmost priority, ensuring that all products consistently meet the highest standards and fulfil the evolving needs of the global defence community.
We have successfully supplied our products to various countries in Middle East, Europe, USA and Asian market (including the Philippines, Romania, Finland, the Netherlands, Colombia, the USA, France, Germany, Armenia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Taiwan, the UAE, Estonia, Spain, Thailand, Italy, Norway, Poland, Burkina Faso, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Australia, the UK, and others). Currently, we have ongoing orders from the Middle East, Europe, USA and Asian market.
ADU. SMPP has designed specialised ballistic helmets for Sikh soldiers. How important is customisation in your product development philosophy?
Ashish Kansal. Our philosophy on product development is always based on two factors of Safety and Comfort. In this case, we wanted to innovate a design which should provide more comfort to the Sikh troops as the helmet is to be worn by troops for long durations during the operations. The rise given in shape is carefully designed so as not to make it conspicuous and should generally merge with the battle attire of other soldiers.
ADU. What are the major challenges Indian defence manufacturers still face, particularly MSMEs, when it comes to scaling up or getting timely procurement clearances?
Ashish Kansal. The major challenges that the manufacturers face is in sustaining themselves into the defence manufacturing. The sources of money are limited to MSMEs and without long term orders, sustenance becomes an issue. There is a single buyer, the defence forces who try to always expand the manufacturing base to multiple vendors. As a result, on completion of a supply order, the manufacturer has to again go through a very long process of trials and testing in a complex competitive environment to survive in business.
ADU. How can industry and government work better together to accelerate defence innovation and ensure timely delivery of mission-critical equipment?
Ashish Kansal. Over the years, we have created a vast base of defence manufacturing in the form of multiple defence PSU’s. It’s time that this is leveraged by ensuing cooperation and not competition with the private sector which can contribute to the strength of the DPSU’s with its agility and fast decision making progress. Instead of insisting on who will lead the project, the stress can be laid out on how to make the best of the product which is globally competitive yet technologically advanced.
ADU. What has been your most defining moment at SMPP so far?
Ashish Kansal. There have been many, specially the awards from the defence ministers, but the defining one till date which changed the course has been the award of contract for the 186,138 Nos. Bullet Proof Jackets.
ADU. Finally, what is your message to young Indian engineers and innovators aspiring to contribute to the defence sector?
Ashish Kansal. My message is borrowed from Robert Frost which aptly fits in our stride – “The Woods are lonely, dark & deep, we have promises to keep, and miles to go before we sleep”. The opportunities are in plenty today for our engineers and innovators, particularly in the emerging technologies like the AI, Quantum Computing, Robotics, Precision Guidance etc. If they work with diligence for the next few years, I am confident of finding India at the pinnacle of defence production. However, the drag lines of long drawn out procedures for contracts or funding need a serious relook.
Ashish Kansal’s vision for SMPP is deeply rooted in technological innovation, self-reliance, and operational excellence. From pioneering ballistic protection solutions to expanding into artillery ammunition and drone systems, SMPP has positioned itself as a trusted partner for armed forces in India and abroad. The company’s consistent emphasis on indigenous R&D, stringent quality control, and strategic expansion reflects the future of India’s defence manufacturing—agile, innovative, and globally competitive. This interview not only highlights SMPP’s milestones but also offers a roadmap for defence innovation, collaboration, and export-driven growth.
As told to Sangeeta Saxena
