DRDO can play significant role in making India superpower: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday stated that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) can play a significant role in making India a superpower.

"We want to make India a superpower and you (scientists) can play an important role in this," said the Defence Minister while addressing the DRDO officials.

The defence minister lauded the premier defence research agency for successfully developing and testing a variety of defence systems including the multirole fighter aircraft Tejas and ballistic missile systems which has significantly boosted the capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces. The defence minister felicitated 45 scientists of DRDO for their exceptional contribution.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, who was present at the event, stated that DRDO helped the armed forces in becoming self-reliant to facing the evolving challenges and the country would win the future wars with indigenously developed weapon technology.

General Rawat said, "For the past few years, DRDO has helped the armed forces to become self-reliant to face the emerging challenges ahead of the country. Currently, we are facing several challenges at the northern and western borders. The way in which we are heading towards self-reliance, it is pertinent for DRDO to keep working ardently in that direction."

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Hand over of DRDO developed systems to Armed Forces

On the occasion, the Defence Minister presented the Indian Maritime Situational Awareness System to Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh, ASTRA MK - missile to the Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria and Border Surveillance System (BOSS) to the Army chief General MM Naravane. The defence systems and equipment were developed by DRDO.

Moreover, sources stated on Thursday that the Centre will soon assign a project to DRDO a project to develop six new Airborne Early Warning and Control planes. The AEW&C will be built on aircraft from Air India which will improve the Indian Air Force's surveillance capabilities along borders with China and Pakistan.

The Indian Air Force earlier used three PHALCON AWACS systems which had the Israeli and Russian technology - the Israeli Radar with Russian Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft. Moreover, the two Netra aircraft provided by the DRDO have also been deployed extensively during the recent conflicts to keep a watch over the activities of the adversaries. The new AEW&C project is said to cost around Rs 10,500 crore and the defence systems will be mounted on Air India fleet keeping the Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiative in mind, as against the previous plan of procuring six new Airbus 330 and getting the defence systems mounted from them.

(With ANI inputs)

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