In a first, India exports military uniforms from OCF Avadi in Chennai to Suriname in South America

CHENNAI: For the first time ever, India exported defence uniforms from the Ordnance Clothing Factory (OCF) at Avadi, to The Republic of Suriname on Tuesday.

The General Manager of OCF, BS Reddy flagged off the export consignment truck from OCF in Avadi. These military uniforms are offered by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India to the Ministry of Defence, Suriname to boost mutual ties.

The 4,500 pieces of the digital camouflage uniform worth Rs 1.71 crores are designed as per the specifications of the Suriname Army and the cost of the same is borne by the Government of India.

“We expect an order of about Rs 5 crores following this shipment to Suriname Port. The shipment will reach in around 60 to 70 days. It took approximately 10 months to design the uniform as per the specifications and to ship them now,” said General Manager BS Reddy.

OCF (Avadi), a unit of the Troops Comforts Ltd, which is a Public Sector Undertaking of the Ministry of Defence, supplies uniforms primarily to the Indian Army. It is a defence garment and armouring unit that has also supplied armoured vehicle protection, bullet-resistant jackets and bullet-resistant vests to Tamil Nadu Police.

OCF (Avadi) has rendered services to the nation's armed forces by supplying defence products to the troops during the 1962 Indo-China War, the 1971 India-Pakistan War and the 1999 Kargil War.

From its inception in 1961, when OCF started supplying uniforms, dungarees and gym shorts, it now has excelled in the armouring of vehicles, bulletproof jackets, bomb suppression blankets and combat uniforms, and bomb-resistant suits.

OCF also supplies tents, parachutes, bulletproof jackets and helmets to many defence and paramilitary forces in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Odisha, and Kerala.

Being a Center of Excellence for Ballistic Defence Gears, OFC is expanding its research and development sector to deliver armouring products like bomb suits and armoured vehicle protection. Talking about the same, BS Reddy said that an ambitious and visionary project by OCF called Future Soldier System is being developed focusing on creating a comprehensive, integrated, and technologically advanced solution for modern soldiers.

The unit also has R&D tie-ups with institutions like IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee, CSIR Labs, AMPRI Bhopal and CECRI Karaikudi to develop modern defence equipment.