At Tarang Shakti, Rajnath Singh hails India’s aerospace prowess
Rajnath Singh's comments followed an IAF display featuring the Tejas light combat aircraft and Prachand light combat helicopter as the highlights.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that Tarang Shakti 2024, the biggest multilateral air combat exercise hosted by India with 28 global air forces as participants, reflected the growing stature of the country’s armed forces, adding that foreign militaries must take a good look at and study the capabilities of the local aerospace industry.
“During this exercise, you all (global air force leaders present) have also got the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of the Indian defence manufacturing sector,” he said at the Jodhpur airbase where the second and final phase of the drills concluded.
Singh’s comments came after the Indian Air Force put on an imposing display in which the locally produced Tejas light combat aircraft and Prachand light combat helicopter formed the centrepiece.
“When an exercise of such complexity and large magnitude takes place, soldiers with different work cultures, air combat experiences and war fighting principles learn a lot from each other,” he said, adding that the drills bolstered cooperation, coordination and trust among partner countries.
The exercise’s mission profile included beyond visual range combat missions, large force engagements, air mobility operations, dynamic targeting, low light operations and high value aerial asset protection.
“Today’s landmark event is an opportunity to celebrate the grand achievements of IAF. We are not only celebrating the achievements of being the fastest growing economy, but also taking pride in our armed forces now being considered as one of the most powerful in the world,” Singh said.
The exercise was held in two phases held at Sulur in Tamil Nadu and Jodhpur. The first phase involved 205 sorties by different types of Indian and foreign aircraft, while more than 800 sorties were clocked in the second and final phase.
The Indian aircraft that took part in both legs of the drills included Sukhoi-30s, Rafales, LCAs, Mirage 2000s, MiG-29s, Jaguars, Prachand light combat helicopters, Dhruv advanced light helicopters, C-130J special operations aircraft and airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft. The foreign air forces fielded platforms including Typhoons, Rafales, F-16s, F-2s, A-10s, Airbus A330 MRTT (multi-role tanker transport) and EA-18 Growler electronic attack aircraft.
At the time of Independence, IAF had only six squadrons of two types of aircraft, Singh said. “Similarly, the rest of the war equipment was not only old but also limited in number. But today, equipped with the best and modern aircraft from around the world and next generation equipment, IAF has transformed itself.”
In the context of Make in India in the defence manufacturing sector, the minister also referred to the recent collaboration between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and French firm Safran Helicopter Engines to build helicopter engines in the country.
On August 30, HAL signed a contract with SAFHAL Helicopter Engines for the joint design, development and production of a new engine called Aravalli for the future 13-tonne Indian multi-role helicopter (IMRH) and its deck-based version.
SAFHAL is a joint venture between Safran Helicopter Engines and HAL.
Singh said India had transformed itself from being an importer of arms to a country that exports military hardware to about 90 countries.
“The domestic defence sector has taken steps towards indigenisation in weapons, platforms and aircraft. Today we have become self-reliant to a great extent in the manufacturing of LCA, sensors, radars and electronic warfare equipment.”
In his Independence Day address last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also captured the strides made by India to further self-reliance in the critical defence manufacturing sector and how the country had gradually transformed itself from being an importer of military hardware to an exporter.
Modi’s comments came at a time when military exports have risen sharply, and imports have dropped on the back of policy initiatives and reforms during the last 10 years, and the country is on course to achieve an annual defence export target of ₹50,000 crore by 2028-29.
India has taken a raft of measures to boost self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector during the last six to seven years. Apart from imposing a series of bans on importing weapons, systems and equipment, these steps include creating a separate budget for buying locally made military hardware, increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) from 49% to 74% and improving ease of doing business.