Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India is building a robust defence ecosystem by promoting innovation and technology development and creating a suitable growth environment for domestic companies. He said, the country is marching towards the direction of building Fifth Generation fighter aircraft and manufacturing the aircraft’s engine. He said, engine manufacturing is going to start in the country with the French company Safran.
Speaking during an event in New Delhi today, the Minister said, the government has approved a new order with HAL to manufacture 97 Tejas fighter planes with the cost of 66 thousand crore rupees. He said HAL had earlier been given an order to build 83 aircraft at a cost of 48 thousand crore rupees. Mr. Singh invited all foreign companies and investors to come and invest in the country’s vibrant defence manufacturing ecosystem.
Referring to a recent statement made by Pakistan’s Army Chief regarding comparing India’s economy to a sports car and Pakistan’s to a dump truck, Mr. Singh said that this was not merely troll material but a revealing admission. He said, if two countries got independence together, and one built an economy like a sports car with hard work, right policies and vision, while the other remains stuck in failure, it is their own doing.
The Minister highlighted that Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) was launched to promote innovation and technology development in the defence sector. He said the government is providing a suitable growth environment to the private sector and the country has opened opportunities for the construction of Mega Defence Programmes, including fighter planes, helicopters, tanks, and submarines. He said it will help domestic private companies become global giants in the coming years.
The Defence Minister pointed out that defence exports have grown nearly 35 times in the last decade from just 686 crore rupees in 2013-14 to 23 thousand 622 crore rupees in 2024-25. He added that defence products are now being exported to nearly 100 countries. He said, domestic defence production has more than tripled from 40 thousand crore rupees in 2014 to over one lakh 50 thousand crore rupees in 2024-25, and is on track to touch nearly two lakh crore rupees in the current fiscal.
