India Is Ready To Become Self Reliant In Its Defense Capabilities
According to a report published last month by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Global Military expenditure in 2019, India was the fifth largest military spenders in the world after the US and China.
India’s military expenditure grew by 6.8 per cent to over 56000 crores because of India’s tensions with China and headache of Pakistan together with India’s duty of protecting the Indian Ocean Region.
The following major defence deals have been signed and paid for or already budgeted :
• S400 Air and Missile Defence systems
• 10x LRMR P8I aircrafts
• 24x Naval Helicopters
• 6x Apache helicopters
• 2x Frigates
• 36x Rafaels
Apart from the above now India must resolve to make all items of indigenous design and the immediate requirements through Make In India. Some major requirements are of another 26x LRMR aircrafts, 42 aerial refuellers and 44x AWACS. Another 72x will be required as medium transporters. So we must select one proper aircraft for all these requirements and through Make In India manufacture all 184 aircrafts.All repair and maintenance facility will also come up. Saras 2 must go under production so that there are no further import of any light transport aircrafts.
We need to place orders on HAL for 240x Tejas MK2 and now onwards there will be no import of any aircraft in this category. Similarly Rafael orders may be increased by 36 more aircrafts and the MMRCA tender should be cancelled.
Everything must get concentrated on AMCA with no more import of any fighters in this category. Though till we get our own Heavy Combat Air Craft flying we may have to Make in India may be up to 80 X SU 57 MKIs.
Similarly there should be no further imports of any kind of helicopters in light and medium category both transport and attack variety. Though a design may be selected in heavy category to make in India up to 60x helicopters. A similar requirement will be there to make 60x Heavy Transport aircraft.
For the Army full concentration should be there on own artillery guns and tanks. For the India Navy may be another 6x Submarines are required through make in India before we can get our own indigenous design into production. All others requirements should now onwards including Minesweepers should be of indigenous design.
Indian PM Narendra Modi recently emphasized the need of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) in his address to the nation on May 12. A similar sentiment was shared by defence minister Rajnath Singh while addressing the DRDO scientists on the occasion of National Technology Day (NTD) through a video conference.
“We always have to keep in mind that there is no alternative to indigenous technology and indigenous manufacture. We will be truly self-reliant only when India succeeds in becoming a net exporter instead of a net importer of technology,” said Rajnath Singh.
He added that the defence organisations are tackling the challenges by COVID-19 using the state of the art technology. He applauded the efforts of DRDO for developing more than 50 products in the last three-four months, like bio-suit, sanitizer dispenser, PPE kits, to contribute to the fight against COVID-19.
Under the ‘Make in India’ initiative by the Modi government, New Delhi has been promoting local defence production since it came to power in 2014. Currently, there are three army projects listed on the government portal namely Terminal End Secrecy Device (TESD), Tactical Communication System (TCS), Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) costing a total of around 30 thousand crores.
These three projects come under ‘Make-1’ category. Projects under this category receive 90% of fundings from the government.
With laying down of a clear policy, full accountability for defence public sector units and adequate supply of funds will ensure that the ‘Make in India’ initiative takes off in the defence sector.
“When you give protection to your defence PSUs and do not give adequate assurance to the private sector, it will be discouraged…Then everyone is working in silos and as a result, there is no interaction,” said Former Army chief General (retired) V.P. Malik. He further added that this is a “crucial reason why Make in India has failed to make progress in the defence sector”.
