Large public sector undertakings in the aerospace and defence sector are transforming themselves into super integrators with the private sector providing critical inputs in the changed business environment, according to Dr G Sateesh Reddy, Director General of Missiles and Strategic Systems. Reddy, who serves as Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, mentioned how Bharat Dynamics Ltd, a manufacturer of missiles and missile systems, has become one such super integrator. It is currently executing orders of over ₹24,000 crore for various missile systems and of this, nearly 80 per cent is being provided by the private sector players.
Transformation
“This shows how the country has transformed over the years from purely being dependant on imports into a manufacturer and integrator of systems indigenously. However, we still depend a lot on imports and the focus has been to reduce the dependency,” he said while addressing the students at the convocation of the University of Hyderabad. Referring to HAL, he said, India has managed to indigenously develop the light combat aircraft, and joins a select group of countries to do so. “While some of the developed nations might have taken lesser time (about 15-16 years) to achieve this, we have managed to achieve this feat in about 20 years. Now HAL is in the process of executing an order for over 100 light combat aircraft. It is poised to become a super PSU with inputs from private sector,” he said.
30,000 MW addition
Outlining the country’s progress in various strategic sectors under the Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space and Research in the Defence Sector, Reddy said that over the next decade all these would play a very significant role, including the addition of about 30,000 MW from Atomic Energy Division. The industry needs to upgrade from merely developing products to specifications to innovating and developing them for domestic requirements and to cater to markets globally. As a part of this drive, the government is looking for innovation and innovative ideas and laying stress on start-ups. Universities can play a strategic role towards the country’s indigenisation, he said. Referring to the Advanced Centre for Research in High Energy Materials established in the University of Hyderabad, he said it is playing an important role in high propulsion systems for missiles. On the immense capabilities that the country has, he highlighted how the BrahMos project, developed through Indo-Russian joint venture, has gone on to become the only supersonic missile system that the world currently has.
Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/
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