INDIAis looking at taking domestic defence production to 100 per cent as dependence on foreign military supplies creates “strategic vulnerability”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday. Singh said this after inaugurating a third production line of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk1A and a second manufacturing facility of trainer jet HTT-40. With opening of the new facility for Tejas jets, the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is expected to produce at least 24 LCA aircraft. “There was a time when the country was dependent on other countries to meet its defence needs, and almost 65-70 percent of defence equipment was imported,” Singh said in his address “But today, this situationhas changed;now Indiaisdoing 65 per cent manufacturing on its own soil,” he said. “Very soon, wewill takeourdomesticmanufacturing to 100 per cent as well,”he said.SinghsaidIndia’s defence export has reached a record Rs 25,000 crore which was less than Rs 1,000 crore.

 

RAJNATH, UP CM TO FLAG OFF FIRST BATCH OF BRAHMOSMISSILESTODAY: DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will flag off the first batch of BrahMos missiles manufacturedat theBrahMosAerospace unit in Lucknow’s Sarojini Nagar on Saturday, an official statement said. The statement said it will not only prove to be a milestone for the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC) but will also provide a new energy toIndia’s resolve to achieve self-reliance in defence products. BrahMos Aerospace, themanufacturerof the“BrahMos”supersonicmissile system, has successfully produced the first batch of the missile system from its new Integration andTest Facility in Lucknow.