Self reliance, skills and collaboration in defence stressed

The importance of self-reliance in defense manufacturing, collaboration between stakeholders and a focus on improving manufacturing skills was highlighted by speakers at a panel discussion forming part of the Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing Summit held in the city on Saturday.

“Indigenization is key and we must go fully indigenized,” said Jaiteerth R. Joshi, Director General, DRDO, BrahMos and CEO and MD, BrahMos Aerospace, adding that all concerned from policy makers, industry and academia have a role to play to make India a Viksit Bharat.

Stating that there should also be a focus on improving skill sets, he said that in the context where technology begins to play an important role, it is equally important to scale the targets from being a production center to emerging as a technology development center. BrahMos makers, for their part, are working to reduce the life cycle, or time taken for production, from anywhere between 5-7 years to 3 years; this is a move that will make it attractive to partners.

On policy matters, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Electronics Manoj Jain said there are no restrictions. “Restrictions are only in the mind. So if our mindset is clear, there are no restrictions in working together and being 100% self-reliant,” he said, adding that there is a long way to go to be self-sufficient here too. With component-level indigenization missing along with some key deep-tech technologies and some core components, there is a need for all stakeholders to work together in synergy. A technology-focused sector like defense requires investment from the government as well as others, including start-ups.

Salil Gupte, President, Boeing-India and South Asia and Boeing Global Vice President, said the “transition to self-sufficiency creates several opportunities at a high level”. At the same time, changing complex geopolitical conditions and issues such as trade agreements, tariffs, defense and aerospace cooperation, and an emphasis on joint development and joint production have been a stabilizing force in the relationship. This is about building for India and the world. “This creates export opportunities,” he said.

Deputy Chief of Integrated Defense Staff (PP and FD) Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty said there is stability in policies from the perspective of instilling confidence in the industry, given that production requires time and investment. Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman, Hero Enterprise, moderated the panel discussion on ‘Mission Self-Reliance: Policy Enablers and Strategic Roadmap’.