India has become strong in the field of defence. India, which is dependent on other countries for weapons, has set a target of getting 5 billion dollars for defense exports in the next five years. Know, how is India’s strategy…
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In the last few years, India has changed its policies in the field of defense. India is no longer completely dependent on Russia for weapons. Defense budget increased. The budget is spending 2.3 percent of its GDP for defence. To become a powerful country in the field of defense, India is planning to spend $ 64.4 billion to equip the army with armed forces and modern technology. India will execute this plan this year to make the army strong.
India is no longer just a country buying weapons but has also started exporting them. India has set a target of achieving $5 billion through defense exports in the next five years. For this, FDI up to 100 percent has been approved in the defense sector so that the manufacturing of weapons is encouraged.
How much has India changed policy in the field of defense, understand in 3 points
1- Backward Russia: The report of Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says, India has been dependent on Russia for weapons for a long time, but now it has countries like France, Russia, America, South Korea and Israel, from which arms are being bought. In the last few years, South Korea, Brazil and South Africa have also emerged as big countries supplying arms to India.
2- Made distance from America and Russia: According to the SIPRI report, there has been a 22 percent reduction in arms imports from Russia. Not only this, between 2015 and 2020, there was a total reduction of 33 percent in arms imports in India. There has also been a decline of 46 percent in the number of guns buying from America. In the matter of arms, India may have distanced itself from these two countries but made deals with other countries.
3- Deals with small countries: After distancing itself from America and Russia, India started importing weapons from France. This is the reason that the countries to which France is supplying up to 49 percent of guns include India, Egypt and Qatar. In making deals for defense, India gave priority to small countries. In the last three years from 2009 till now, a small country like Uzbekistan has become India’s largest supplier of guns. This list also includes South Korea.
The Anti Satellite Weapon prepared by DRDO which has been named Mission Shakti.
Why did India have to change its defense policy?
India has been the second largest importer of arms in the world. India now wants to reduce the import of weapons and wants to become self-reliant in the field of manufacturing them so that the economy can be improved further. This is the reason why India will modernize the army by spending 130 billion dollars in the next 5 years. The central government has given an opportunity to private companies to enter the defense industry so that weapons can be manufactured under the self-reliant campaign in the country.
Last week, Minister of State for Defense Shripad Naik, while answering a question in the Lok Sabha, said that the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has conducted 28 successful tests in the last one year under the self-reliant campaign.
Dhruv helicopter developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
How self-reliant has India become in the field of defense?
DRDO is working fast to modernize the army. This research organization has given many such weapons to the army, due to which the military force has become stronger than ever before in the face of the enemy. These include Visual Range Missile System, 10 Meter Short Span Bridging System, Indian Maritime Situational Awareness System (IMSAS), Heavy Weight Torpedo (HWT), Border Surveillance System (BOSS) and Arjun Mk-1A.
Not only this, DRDO and private institutions are preparing many systems related to the army together. Together, both have developed many types of modern weapons in the last one year. These include the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), Extended Range Pinaka System and Guided Pinaka Rocket System.
Expo to promote Defense Manufacturing
Defense Expo 2022 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat under theme ‘Path to Pride’ will showcase the expansive scope and scale of Indian defense manufacturing prowess.
#DefExpo2022: 18th October – 22nd October@DefenceMinIndia @MIB_India @PIB_India @PIBAhmedabad pic.twitter.com/HrmRHQmWUw
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) October 19, 2022
Now preparing to reduce imports and increase exports
The country’s research institute DRDO is now working closely with other countries. This includes America, Russia, Singapore, Britain and Korea. For some time now, India has been supplying defense related equipment to other countries. Between March and December 2020, India supplied defense equipment worth $ 780 million to the US. Not only this, the equipment exported by DRDO on 3 February 2021 included 19 aeronautical systems, 41 armament and combat systems, 4 missile systems, 27 electronic and communication systems, 10 life protection items. Apart from this, 4 microelectric devices, 28 naval systems, 16 nuclear biological chemical equipment were part of the NBC list.
What is the target set by India?
A new policy has been made to export in the field of defense in India. Under the new policy, a target has been set to achieve 5 billion dollars for defense exports in the next five years. For this, FDI has been approved up to 100 percent in the field of defense so that the manufacturing of weapons in India can be increased.
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