03
Division 03 — Defence & Strategic Investment

Capital DeployedWhere the Nation Demands.

Long-duration strategic investment in defence production, national security infrastructure, and dual-use technology platforms — sectors defined by sovereign demand, structural barriers, and compounding returns.

Smersh HoldingsDivisionsDefence & Strategic Investment
Division Overview

Investing in national resilience

The Defence & Strategic Investment division deploys capital into production, infrastructure, and technology assets that serve national security objectives — an asset class characterised by consistent government procurement, high barriers to entry, and multi-decade demand visibility.


India's defence indigenisation drive under the Defence Acquisition Procedure and expanding FDI limits in defence manufacturing create a structural investment thesis that Smersh Holdings is positioned to capitalise on through early-stage positioning in licensed platforms and dual-use technology companies.

DAP · DPP
Policy Framework
74%
FDI Limit (Auto Route)
Long Dur.
Return Profile
Investment Thesis
The defence sector offers institutional-grade return characteristics unavailable in most private markets.

Sovereign procurement contracts provide multi-year revenue visibility. Licencing requirements and capital intensity create near-impenetrable competitive moats. Indigenisation mandates drive domestic supply chain development — rewarding early entrants with scale advantages that compound over decades.

Enquiries by introduction only

Investment Portfolio

Listed Equity Positions

Smersh Holdings holds listed equity positions in India's premier state-owned defence enterprises — companies that constitute the backbone of India's sovereign defence industrial base across aerospace, electronics, naval shipbuilding, and missile systems.

HAL
Hindustan Aeronautics
NSE: HAL

India's largest aerospace and defence manufacturer. Licensed production of Su-30MKI, MiG-29 UPG, Tejas LCA, ALH Dhruv and Advanced Hawk Jet Trainers. Core engine of India's aerial sovereignty.

Aerospace Manufacturing
BDL
Bharat Dynamics
NSE: BDL

India's premier missile manufacturer. Produces anti-tank guided missiles, surface-to-air systems, torpedoes and underwater weapons. Key supplier to the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force under strategic defence programmes.

Missile Systems
BEL
Bharat Electronics
NSE: BEL

India's leading defence electronics company. Manufactures radars, electronic warfare systems, communication equipment, and naval systems. Backbone of India's C4ISR infrastructure across all three services.

Defence Electronics
BHEL
Bharat Heavy Electricals
NSE: BHEL

India's largest engineering and manufacturing enterprise. Supplies propulsion systems, gun barrels, simulators and armoured vehicle components to the defence sector alongside its dominant power generation and industrial equipment business.

Industrial & Defence
MDL
Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders
NSE: MAZDOCK

India's premier naval shipyard. Builds Scorpène-class submarines, Project 15B destroyers and Project 17A stealth frigates for the Indian Navy. India's only yard with concurrent submarine and warship construction capability.

Naval Shipbuilding
GRSE
Garden Reach Shipbuilders
NSE: GRSE

Specialist naval engineering yard producing frigates, corvettes, survey vessels and fast patrol boats for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. Significant export order book with deliveries to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Naval Engineering

Listed equity positions held through the Group's investment fund. Not investment advice. Market data indicative only.

Focus Areas

Where capital is deployed

Defence Manufacturing

Equity participation in licensed defence production companies. Focus on platforms serving the Ministry of Defence's indigenisation priority list, with particular interest in electronics, optics, and precision engineering sub-systems.

Dual-Use Technology

Investment in technology platforms with both commercial and defence applications — communications infrastructure, sensor networks, data analytics, and autonomous systems — that benefit from both civilian and government procurement.

Security Infrastructure

Capital deployment into physical and digital infrastructure supporting national security requirements — perimeter systems, command and control infrastructure, critical facility hardening, and secure communications networks.

Strategic Supply Chain

Investment in logistics and supply chain infrastructure designated for strategic goods — ensuring the Group participates in the full value chain from raw materials through to end-user delivery under government frameworks.

Strategic Enquiries

This division engages by introduction. Contact holdings for qualified introductions.

Contact Holdings