Arms Import or Export?

Pune based R&D Engineers, one of the 40 odd DRDO labs in india, have bagged an order of Rs.20,000 crores for 68 Akash missile systems, from the IAF and 45 Akash missile systems from the Indian Army. These surface in air and aircraft missiles and air to air anti-aircraft missiles have been developed in a record time of 5 years. Of this Rs.20,000 crores order, about 10% or Rs.2,000 crores will be given to private SME players and the rest to big PSUs and private companies like L&T, etc.

That’s not all – on 7^th July 2013, an indigenous aircraft carrier being made by Cochin Shipyard has been tested in the waters, as the keel and underwater systems are ready. The aircraft carrier, with fully fitted armaments, radar systems and flying deck will be delivered to the Navy in about 5 years’ time. It is named INS Vikrant after India’s first aircraft carrier bought from the British in 1961. It was a World War II vintage, which was refurbished and sold to India. It has been retired and converted into a museum in 1997.

India is only the sixth country in the world to have this technology of building an aircraft carrier.

R&D(E) has also developed ROVs or Remote Operated Vehicles, which will be available soon to fight Maoists and terrorists in difficult terrain. It has plans to develop a fully ‘Intelligent’ robotic soldier, but that is some way off, maybe in the next 10 years.

With such cutting-edge technology, I fail to understand why India is the largest importer of arms, unless of course there are kickbacks involved, because there are large and non-transparent deals.