By Sitanshu Kar
The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony today asked all stake holders to have regular deliberations and solve their problems within the initial stages of any project or programme for timely delivery of the same to the Services. Speaking at an international seminar on “ Challenges in Design to Deployment of the Aerospace Products” on the eve of the inauguration of Aero India 2013 in Bangalore, Shri Antony said ‘our Mantra must be jointness in day-to-day working, if we wish to suceed in reducing the content of the imported weaponry and increase the indigenous content.’
Defining a ‘successful design’ as one that properly translates the design into an acceptable product, meeting the requirements of the end users, Shri Antony said this is not an easy task and the development and production agencies face several challenges along the way.
Shri Antony said Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is undergoing several flight and ground tests to meet the requirements of the users. The very long gestation period of development in aerospace products introduces elements of additional challenges for all the agencies. Aerospace systems have become highly avionics and software intensive. Such technologies change at mind boggling pace. It is imperative to ensure that the user requirements are met and the design of these requirements are finalised as early as possible. The product, along with the technogies available on the date, should be released with regular updates to take care of the technological advancements, he said.
Turning to investment in Research and Development, Shri Antony said R&D efforts in the country are mostly government- funded and by government agencies. He said the private sector should step in in a big waynot only in R&D but also in production. “ Industries haveseveral opportunities to participate in major defence acquisition programmes by making use of our offset policies. If our private industries also invest in R&D, I’m confident that the rquirements of our users would be met much earlier than is the case now”, he said.
Shri Antony complimented the Designing and Production agencies for overcoming several challenges and giving the country such products as the Tejas, weaponised Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv, Akash Missiles and Brah Mos etc.
The function was attended among others by the Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, SA to Raksha Mantri Shri VK Saraswat and the Secretary Defence Production Shri RK Mathur. (Press Release | Unedited)