Opinion- MoD, Please Don’t Rush to Please Foreign Govts!
Neelam Mathews Jan 17, 2015 My past writings have shown a definite leaning towards quality and efficiency of military equipment whether it be bought from home or abroad and most would agree that would stand us in good stead in time of crisis. Something India has learnt bitter lessons from. Yes, waiting for the LCA and engines for many a project has delayed many a procurement. Now with ‘Make in India’ a slogan and the practice being adopted and implemented, one might have to revisit some clauses before we jump in to manufacture basic foreign equipment that could perhaps have its strength in India. Take for example the US mini UAV- an agreement for manufacture that could be announced at President Obama’s visit to India with US AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven, a small hand-launched remote-controlled UAV that can fly upto 10km. One does know of a similar model designed in India by Kadet Defence Systems, SilverBee. So what makes us rush into the arms of the Amer...