After the struggle of almost a decade, NDA government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed the historic Rafale deal, cleared various defence projects and did many things which have impressed the soldiers of the nation. In one such remarkable step, the much waited indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas was inducted in the Indian Air Force.
According to the analysts, the continuous ice-breaking over stalled defence deals had made Modi government’s one year as golden-era for Indian defence development and here are the reasons behind why:
Boost to Modi’s ‘Make in India’ ::
India has to spend a lot to buy products from international vendors.
markets are much higher than what we can buy from Indian vendors. To encourage Indian participation in the defence sector, the NDA government awarded 56 defence manufacturing licences to the private sector in the first year to have indigenous defence production of its ‘Make in India’ drive. It is a record against the 47 licences granted by the UPA govt in 2013-14.
Committed to one rank one pension, says Narendra Modi ::
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that his government is “committed†to the long-awaited One Rank One Pension (OROP) for ex-servicemen. It is one of the key poll promises he made before the LS polls last year.
Rafale fighter jet deal ::
After sessions of talks between India and various countries, PM Modi sealed the much-awaited deal of buying medium multirole combat aircrafts in 2015. However, the govt decreased the total numbers from 126 to just 26 but the immediate delivery of the aircrafts will strengthen the combat efficiency of the IAF.
Navy to get six new submarines, stealth frigates, Project-17A ::
The Narendra Modi government recently approved the plan to develop seven stealth frigates under Project 17A. These frigates will be developed in dockyards of Mumbai and Kolkata. Apart from it, the government has also approved the project to build six nuclear submarines.
Shocking DRDO, Indian Army invites direct proposal to build new tanks ::
In a new development, the Indian Army invited proposals from domestic and international vendors to build Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) even Defence Research and Development Organisation is working on the same project. The new tanks will replace old T-72 tanks, official sources said.
Manohar Parrikar ::
It is not just a name! Indian Defence Minister has proved himself as one of the most articulate and intellectual ministers of last few governments of India. Parrikar’s statements on counter-terror and recent terrorist situation near Kashmir border have been in news for both — good and ugly reasons. But end of the day, a full-time active defence minister raises hope of the countrymen.
Light Combat Helicopter clears flight trials ::
The Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) 3 is a versatile combat chopper developed by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, successfully completed the hot weather flight trials in Jodhpur.
However, it is not associated with the decisions taken by the Modi government in last one year but the positive atmosphere encourages the development.
According to the IAF officials, the need for a versatile combat chopper was strongly felt after the 1999 Kargil attack, which could provide air defense amidst mountains, against slow-moving targets, as air escort, in urban warfare, counter-insurgency and anti-tank operations.
Source from India Defence News.
