Development Report- Defense-Part-2
Defence Sector Modernisation
– Aircraft Acquisitions- Rafael Fighter Jets-Modi government addressed the “vacuum” in the national security structure created by the indecisiveness of the UPA dispensation by “immediately” going for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter planes in a fly-away condition. First five Rafale fighter aircraft arrived in India in July 2020 and several more since then, adding firepower to the arsenal of the Indian Air Force. Despite the COVID-19 challenge, the aircraft were delivered timely and inducted into IAF. The Rafale weapons package outguns all other weapons systems in the region and will give India the ability to engage Pakistani jets from a distance without being tracked. Also, the air to ground SCALP missile will be able to take down virtually any target within Pakistani soil with dead accuracy. Also the Dassault Aviation SA’s ( Rafael Manufacturer ) pact with would benefit a number of companies which are part of the country’s defence manufacturing industry and not just one single company, as charged by India’s key opposition Congress.
The Supreme Court gave a clean chit to the Narendra Modi government in the Rafale fighter jets deal case, saying review petitions against the deal lacked merit. The court struck down pleas that had sought re-examination of the December 14, 2018 verdict which said there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets.
– Strengthening border infrastructure- Reforms of processes and workflows within Border Roads Organisation (BRO) enabled it to achieve targets ahead of schedule, in some instances. World’s longest Atal tunnel above 10,000 feet, at Rohtang on the Leh-Manali Highway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in October 2020. It provides all weather connectivity to the northern borders. Zojila pass, situated on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway, was opened almost a month ahead of schedule in April 2020.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in October 2020 formally opened 44 bridges built by the army’s Border Roads Organisation ( BRO ) these 44 are among the 102 bridges that are being built by the BRO. These bridges are designed to withstand movement of India’s heaviest battle tanks. This work by BRO is described as a record-breaking performance. ( Source- https://www.hindustantimes.com/ )
– Defence Equipments- Importer to Exporter- ( Source https://theprint.in/opinion by Lt. Gen. H.S.Panag ) India had a lackadaisical past in defence production. With 41 ordnance factories, HAL-Bangluru, Naval Dock Yard-Mumbai and many Defence Public Sector Undertakings in place India was second-largest importer of arms in the world up to 2014 due to incorrect policies and poor state of India’s defence manufacturing infrastructure. A specific export strategy for defence did not exist at all until August 2014.
The Modi government hit the ground running and a strategy for facilitating defence exports was formulated and promulgated in September 2014, focussing on export promotion/facilitation and export regulation. It was realised that a defence industry only focussing on domestic demand cannot sustain itself. Hence Modi Government reviewed its arms export policy and streamlined the procedure for granting permission to both public and private companies. As result of this an unsung success story of the Narendra Modi government achieving a quantum jump in India’s arms exports has come in to reality. As per the data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, in March 2020, India is ranked 23rd in the list of major arms exporters for 2015-2019 and 19th for 2019. The Ministry of Defence’s annual report 2018-19 records that the defence exports were worth Rs 10,745 crore, a growth of more than 100 per cent from 2017-18 (Rs 4,682 crore) and over 700 per cent since 2016-17 (Rs 1,521 crore). Presently Modi govt made defence exports jump 700% and a plan to modernise the Ordnance factories has been undertaken. PM Modi targets $5 billion in defence exports in next 5 years. If ‘Make in India’ reaches its full potential, $10-15 billion defence export is achievable in a decade.
Compiled by-Vinayak Ambekar
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Good Article