The Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination & Services) (abbreviated: DOO (C&S)) is an authority under the Department of Defence Production (DDP) of Ministry of Defence (MoD), Government of India. Its primary work is to management, give instructions and make coordination of government ordnance production public companies. It is the main regulatory body of Indian Ordnance and its administration civil service, Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS). The DOO(C&S) earlier known as Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), consisting of the Indian Ordnance Factories. In 2021, Government having corporatise the functions of the 41 Indian Ordnance Factories into 7 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), the Government is merging them again in 2024, as the output of one factory serves as the input of the other.
OFB was the 37th-largest defence equipment manufacturer in the world, 2nd-largest in Asia, and the largest in India. 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 and the Indian Railways 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 factory was established at Ichapore; 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 and 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 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, 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, DRDO, BDL, BEL, 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 DPSUs 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.
The Government is exploring the possibility of merging five of the seven defence public undertakings as of 2023, as the output of one factory serves as the input of the other.
Infrastructure and Management
Headquarters Ayudh Bhawan, Kolkata (main headquarter of DOO(C&S),) Armoured Vehicles Headquarters, Chennai Ordnance Equipment Factories Headquarters, Kanpur DOO(C&S), 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.
List of Ordnance factories Each ordnance factory was headed by a General Manager who is in the rank of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.
Factory Location State Defence PSU Ammunition Factory, Khadki (AFK) Pune Maharashtra Munitions India Limited Cordite Factory, Aruvankadu (CFA) Aruvankadu Tamil Nadu Munitions India Limited Engine Factory, Avadi (EFA) Chennai Tamil Nadu Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited Field Gun Factory, Kanpur (FGK) Kanpur Uttar Pradesh Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur (GCF) Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited Grey Iron Foundry (GIF) Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh Yantra India Limited Gun and Shell Factory, Cossipore (GSF) Kolkata West Bengal Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited Heavy Alloy Penetrator Project (HAPP) Tiruchirappalli Tamil Nadu Munitions India Limited High Explosives Factory (HEF) Pune Maharashtra Munitions India Limited Heavy Vehicles Factory, Chennai (HVF) Chennai Tamil Nadu Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited Machine Tool Prototype Factory Ambernath (MPF) Mumbai Maharashtra Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited Metal and Steel Factory (MSF) Ishapore West Bengal Yantra India Limited Ordnance Clothing Factory Avadi (OCFAV) Chennai Tamil Nadu Troop Comforts Limited Ordnance Factory Chandigarh (OCFC) Chandigarh Chandigarh India Optel Limited Ordnance Clothing Factory (OCFS) Shahjahanpur Uttar Pradesh Troop Comforts Limited Ordnance Equipment Factory Kanpur (OEFC) Kanpur Uttar Pradesh Troop Comforts Limited Ordnance Equipment Factory Hazratpur (OEFHZ) Hazratpur Uttar Pradesh Troop Comforts Limited Ordnance Factory Ambernath (OFA)Mumbai Maharashtra Yantra India Limited Ordnance Factory Ambajhari (OFAJ) Nagpur Maharashtra Yantra India Limited Ordnance Factory Bhandara (OFBA) Bhandara Maharashtra Munitions India Limited Ordnance Factory Bhusawal (OFBH) Bhusawal Maharashtra Yantra India Limited Ordnance Factory Bolangir (OFBOL) Bolangir Odisha Munitions India Limited Ordnance Factory Kanpur (OFC) Kanpur Uttar Pradesh Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited Ordnance Factory Chandrapur (OFCH) Chandrapur Maharashtra Munitions India Limited Ordnance Factory Dumdum (OFDC) Kolkata West Bengal Yantra India Limited Ordnance Factory Dehu Road (OFDR) Pune Maharashtra Munitions India Limited Ordnance Factory Dehradun (OFDUN) Dehradun Uttarakhand India Optel Limited Ordnance Factory Itarsi (OFI) Itarsi Madhya Pradesh Munitions India Limited Ordnance Factory Khamaria (OFK) Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh Munitions India Limited Ordnance Factory Katni (OFKAT) Katni Madhya Pradesh Yantra India Limited Ordnance Factory Muradnagar (OFM) Ghaziabad Uttar Pradesh Yantra India Limited Ordnance Factory Project (OFN) Nalanda Bihar Munitions India Limited Ordnance Factory Project Korwa (OFPKR) Korwa Uttar Pradesh Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited Ordnance Factory Project Medak (OFPM) Hyderabad Telangana Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli (OFT) Tiruchirappalli Tamil Nadu Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited Ordnance Factory Varangaon (OFV) Varangaon Maharashtra Munitions India Limited Opto Electronics Factory (OLF) Dehradun Uttarakhand India Optel Limited Ordnance Parachute Factory (OPF) Kanpur Uttar Pradesh Gliders India Limited Rifle Factory Ishapore (RFI) Ishapore West Bengal Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited Small Arms Factory (SAF) Kanpur Uttar Pradesh Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ) Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited
Training institutes, regional centres and controllerates
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, electronics), technologists (aerospace, automotive, marine, industrial/product design, computer, nuclear, optical, chemical, metallurgical, textile, leather) and non-technical/administrative (science, law, commerce, management 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 missiles, rockets, bombs, grenades, military vehicles, armoured vehicles, chemicals, optical devices, parachutes, mortars, artillery pieces plus all associated ammunition, propellants, explosives and fuses.