Ordnance Factory Day 2026 – March 18
Ordnance Factory Day is observed annually on 18 March across India by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to mark the establishment of India’s first Ordnance Factory at Cossipore near Kolkata, West Bengal(WB), in 1801.
About Indian Ordnance Factories(IOFS):
Structure : The IOFs comprise 41 factories, 9 training institutes, 3 regional marketing centres, and 4 safety controllers under the Department of Defence Production (DDP), Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Key Role: The IOFs, the oldest and largest defence manufacturing entity, produce arms, ammunition, and equipment for the Armed Forces, along with handling testing, logistics, research, development, and marketing of systems across land, sea, and air.
Reform: In June 2021, the 41 factories were reorganised into seven specialised Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).

• The Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination & Services)(DOO(C&S) was set up on 1 October 2021 to oversee coordination and services, replacing the OFB.