Officials aware of the situation, claim that India is vulnerable to the ongoing threats from China and Pakistan as a result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s effort to increase the manufacturing of defence systems locally.
According to a report by Bloomberg, key essential weapons systems that India’s army, navy, and air force need to replace old ones can no longer be imported. According to them, India could be severely short on helicopters by 2026 and face a fighter jet shortage of hundreds by 2030 as a result.
Shortly after winning the election in 2014, Prime Minister Modi revealed his “Make in India” strategy, which aims to create jobs and stop the flow of foreign currency out of the country by manufacturing everything from fighter jets to mobile phones there.
However, eight years later, the world’s largest buyer of military hardware still cannot produce enough weapons locally to meet its demands, and imports are prohibited by government regulations. by Links From Taboola Spend less, save more, and manage your money more effectively.
Depending on the type of military procurement or the source, PM Modi’s initiative requires anywhere from 30% to 60% of homemade components.
Prior to the introduction of such caps, India employed a system in which a portion of the purchase price was invested in domestic manufacturing.
As things are, India’s military readiness is likely to continue to decline, which will put it at greater risk from Pakistan and China, whose forces are currently positioned to face off against Indian troops along their Himalayan frontier following escalated clashes in 2020.
An official informed Bloomberg that India will require twice as many soldiers on the ground to discourage attacks along the Chinese border due to the country’s weaker air force.
The media company spoke to a large number of officials to the media company, from all three Indian services. To discuss delicate subjects, they requested anonymity. An email asking for views received no response from India’s Ministry of Defense. While India’s military has increased local purchases of some defence products, the nation does not yet develop complicated platforms like diesel-electric submarines and twin-engine jets.
The Modi government wants the air force to choose locally built single-engine fighters, which are in low supply, as well as twin-engine fighter jets that the nation does not currently have in production, therefore plans to purchase fighters from foreign manufacturers have been cancelled.
The state of the Air Force is especially bad.
According to military estimates, India’s air force would likely have fewer than 30 fighter squadrons by 2030, far fewer than the 42 required to adequately defend its borders with China and Pakistan. According to one official, the air force would be compelled to ground approximately half a dozen squadrons, each with 16 to 18 fighter jets, between now and then because they will no longer be able to fly.
According to officials, the Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, a state-owned defence manufacturer, is only able to produce eight Tejas fighters annually, or roughly half a squadron. The company plans to double manufacturing capacity by 2026, they added, but delays are possible due to supply-chain disruptions caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Owaisi reacts to Modi’s Make in India failure:
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his defence policies. The Hyderabad MP said that India is running short of weapons in its fight against neighbouring country China.
“The PM’s harebrained schemes have weakened us. India’s biggest challenge is China. We’re running out of weapons & our defence readiness is in shambles. We’re going to be short of HUNDREDS of jets. Too bad WEAK PM Modi can’t blame Mughals for it,” Owaisi tweeted.
Along with his tweet, Owaisi linked the article from Bloomberg.com which brought up the pitfalls of the Union government’s defence policies at a time when China and Pakistan pose considerable threats.
