Slowdown will not hit defence modernisation: Antony

The current economic slowdown would not hurt the modernisation programme of India’s armed forces in any way, Defence Minister A K Antony said here and also announced the government’s willingness to spend more on defence research and development. Antony, responding to Air Chief Marshal F H Major who spoke earlier stressing on defence modernisation at an international seminar here, said, “We will provide you whatever you want to safeguard India’s national interests.”

The minister categorically said the economic slowdown would not affect modernisation of the armed forces. But he said the country is “far far away” from Jawaharlal Nehru’s dream of India becoming self-reliant in the defence sector. He also pointed out that only 30 per cent of India’s defence needs are met within the country, while 70 per cent are imported.

He said a country like India, which boasts of the “fourth largest scientific group” and is “growing like anything”, depending on foreign sources for most defence items is “not suitable for us”. Antony said he feels “guilty” that growth — as far as indigenous development and production of defence items are concerned — is “very, very slow.”

Antony said the Defence Ministry spends only 6 per cent of its budget on Research and Development (R&D) and added that the government realised the importance of enhancing it. At the same time, public and private industries in the defence sector should also increase R&D spend, he said.

The minister expressed happiness over the success of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) christened Dhruv, designed and developed in India. He said two years ago there were “many doubting Thomases” who said it won’t be a success. But today, there is a great demand for ALH. Even Armed forces are finding it difficult to procure it as there is demand for ALH from the Home Ministry, various state governments, as well as many countries.

Meanwhile, Antony told the three-day seminar, conducted biennially with Asia’s biggest air show ‘Aero India 2009’ which gets underway here on Wednesday, that unconventional means of warfare used by terrorists as seen in the 9ô11 attacks and the recent terror attack on Mumbai demand a calibrated international response. “Technology has to be backed up by a proactive response from the government and the civil society in unison,” he told the inaugural function of the event, organised by the Defence Research and Development Organisation in association with the Aeronautical Society of India.