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New Delhi: With the Centre pushing for indigenous development and production of weaponry, a high-level meeting of the Defence Procurement Board is likely on January 5 and 6 to find the road ahead.
The main issues before the DPB deal with buying weapons that are:
- Made in India and looking towards foreign sellers only if the systems are not available in India or cannot be manufactured in India.
- Then, if foreign vendors are being considered, is joint development possible? Is production in India, preferably jointly, possible, including for export?
- Also, what has to be done with weapon systems that are already in the pipeline? Many weapon systems like the towed gun or the Kamov helicopter have been under discussion for a while.
The DPB, headed by Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar, is expected to decide on the ministry’s position after deciding what can be done and what is still difficult for India. A top defence official said, India builds ships and submarines, develops missile systems and sensors and even tanks, but advanced fighter aircraft, particularly engines, are still out of reach.
The Defence Secretary, the three vice chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force and representatives of the
Defence Research and Development Organisation and the defence production department will participate.
