The Hindu Business Line : ‘Industry should step up R&D investments’

New Delhi, Aug. 26 The domestic industry will have to step up investment in research and development to improve its technological capability to meet the requirements of the defence forces, the Defence Minister, Mr A.K. Antony, has said.

Addressing a seminar on ‘A strategic partnering of Indian Air Force and industry on modernisation and indigenisation’, here on Tuesday, the Minister said domestic industry had to improve its technological capability so as to become suppliers of complete systems rather than just being suppliers of raw materials and components.

The two-day seminar is being jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Indian Air Force.

Time schedules

Expressing concern over the failure of the defence production units to adhere to time schedules, Mr Antony said this was affecting the government’s initiatives towards indigenisation and upgradation of the defence forces. He said that the recently announced Defence Procurement Policy was an opportunity for the domestic industry to become an active partner in the modernisation of the defence forces.

Delivering the keynote address, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal F H Major, said the Indian Air Force was on the threshold of a major transformation. Pointing out that today 70 per cent of the Air Force’s equipment needs were met by foreign companies, the Air Chief felt that this was the most important thing that had to change, “if we are to meet our goal of strategic self-reliance.”

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