Adding economy to defence

Make in India for defence equipment is languishing in the absence of large orders that can make local production viable

A fortnight ago in Jhansi, as part of the “Rashtriya Raksha Smarpan Parv” to mark the 75th year of Indian Independence, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) a Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). There was more than a little irony in making a public relations spectacle of the LCH, given that a request to build 15 of these helicopters for the IAF and army has been languishing before the Union Cabinet for long, after the LCH was granted initial operational clearance in 2017.

The Cabinet