Page 10 - ADT JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2023 Online Magazine

 INDUSTRY

©HAL
HOMEGROWN FERVOUR

INDIA’S INDIGENOUS Singh said that the Indian defence industry was going through a
transformational phase and the active participation of the private
AEROSPACE AND sector is the biggest catalyst to that change. “Not just the private
DEFENCE INDUSTRY sector, but R&D establishments and academia are also working
together with the Government. Aero India is a medium to provide
GROWS IN CAPABILITY a platform to all the stakeholders to jointly strengthen the defence
& aerospace sector and contribute to Nation Building,” he added.
 ATUL CHANDRA
HOMEGROWN WINGS
The latest edition of Aero India will provide an
important insight into India’s growing aero- India’s Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO)
space & defence industry. India’s defence and Indian state-owned defence companies such as Hindustan
minister Rajnath Singh said Aero India 2023 Aeronautics Limited (HAL) are engaged in the development of three
will be a display of the growing prowess of the fighter class platforms in the Tejas Mk2, Advanced Medium Combat
defence & aerospace sector and the rise of a Aircraft (AMCA) and Twin-Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF), the
strong & self-reliant ‘New India’. The theme for latter two destined for the Air Force and Navy, respectively. While the
the latest edition of the air show is ‘The runway Tejas Mk2 is slated to enter service in the latter half of this decade,
to a billion opportunities.’ The growing focus the AMCA and TEDBF platforms are expected to enter operational
on indigenously developed defence platforms service around 2035. Currently, out of the total airborne fleet in use
continues with Aero India and according to with the Indian defence services, HAL has supplied about 61 per cent
India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), “the events and is supporting 75 per cent of all the aircraft/helicopters.
have been restructured with focus on increasing
defence exports and forging partnerships rather HAL is now working on the production of 83 Tejas Mk-1A aircraft
than merely import of weapons/equipment.” ordered in February 2021 in a contract worth approximately Rupees
10 | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2023 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/ADT