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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said conventional warfare and means are still relevant today as they were in 1947, and noted that a nation that fulfils its own needs can march ahead with confidence. He was speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for a 10,000-tonne aluminium extrusion press at the state-owned Yantra India Limited (YIL) in Ambajhari, Nagpur. The new facility will help reduce dependence on imports of critical aluminium components. Singh said supply chains can get disrupted when war erupts. "In such a scenario, every nation wants essential items to be manufactured domestically," he said. A nation that fulfils its own needs can march ahead confidently, Singh said. "Conventional warfare and means are still relevant, as they were in 1947," Singh said, adding that they would remain crucial even in 2047. This is why military industrial bases would remain important even in future, he added. Singh noted that India's defence production surged to more than Rs 1,78,
In line with the steps to modernise the Army's artillery regiments and enhance operational readiness, indigenously-made Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems (ATAGS) will replace the vintage and smaller calibre guns, with the Defence Ministry on Wednesday calling the project an "exemplary mission mode success". ATAGS is designed by Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune, a laboratory of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). The ministry shared a post on X along with a video showcasing ATAGS, whose maximum range is 48 km. "We started this project in the year 2012. And, within a span of 12 years, we could complete the total process of design to manufacturing, testing and induction," said ARDE Director A Raju in the recorded video. The key features are its quite advance system, he said, adding, ARDE is playing a crucial rule in "Atmanirbharta of our nation". Earlier on March 26, the Defence Ministry had signed contracts with Bharat Forge Limited
Pitching for developing indigenous capabilities for defence manufacturing, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh on Friday said the Indian Air Force would prefer a "homegrown" system even if it gives "slightly lesser performance". Speaking at the Chanakya Dialogues conclave here on the theme of "Bharat 2047: Atmanirbhar In War", the Air Force chief also said that there is a need for manufacturing at least 35-40 military aircraft in India every year and stressed the target is not impossible to meet. He said the IAF's first priority when it comes to acquisition, is "anything that is homegrown". "So I'm very convinced in my mind that even if a homegrown system gives me a slightly lesser performance... if it is 90 percent or 85 percent of what I get in the world market, we will go for homegrown system because that is the only way we can get over with always looking outward to get our systems," he said. "But at the same time, a homegrown system cannot just happen overnight. It will take time and
Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has said India's semiconductor policy is essentially "new oil for the economy" and important to improve the country's defence manufacturing. Speaking at an event here on Monday, he also asked the private sector to take the lead in order to make the country self-reliant. If India has to become self-reliant, then the private industry must take the lead in defence manufacturing, he said. The Ministry of Defence has set aside Rs 450 crore this year for the Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme, which aims to help startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) innovate, Admiral Tripathi said. "The MoD has earmarked 75 per cent of our modernisation budget for the defence industry, which is almost Rs 1 lakh crore. And out of that, 25 per cent has been earmarked for the private defence industry in this budget. This year, Rs 450 crore has been successfully allocated for iDEX scheme," he said. Since its inception in 2018, the iDEX has signed