Ministry of Defence
Air power has major
role in maintaining regional stability and peace in Indian Ocean Region,
says Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh;
First ever such gathering attracts participation from 40 countries
The
Chiefs of Air Staff Conclave began at Aero India 2021 at Air Force
Station, Yelahanka on February 03, 2021. Chiefs of Air Staff (CAS) of
more than 24 countries are attending the conclave physically and 16
virtually. The theme of the two-day event is “Leveraging Aerospace Power
for Security and Stability”.
Raksha
Mantri Rajnath Singh in his address, said that Aero India 2021
isintended to showcase India’s intent to be among the top countries in
defence and aerospace industries citing the example of the Light Combat
Aircraft (LCA) that has been successfully operationalised and inducted
into the Indian Air Force (IAF) with state-of-the-art weaponry. Shri
Rajnath Singh said that the superior performance of this aircraft has
impressed aviation experts around the world.
Raksha
Mantri said that the LCA Mk-1A will be indigenously designed, developed
and manufactured and would bolster the “Make in India”initiative of the
nation. He added that close to 500 indigenous design and production
agencies are involved in the manufacture of the LCA. Speaking of the
success stories of the indigenous defence industry he applauded the
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for testing 12
missile types spanning the spectrum of ranges and purposes in a matter
of one and a half months.
Shri
Rajnath Singh added that the IAF has launched a major indigenisation
drive for sustenance of all aircraft fleets and maintenance aspects and
expressed belief that this will prove to be the growth engine for
Indian’s domestic aerospace manufacturing capability.
Raksha
Mantri said that the country has reached an inflection point in
domestic defence manufacturing and the trajectory from here on would
only be upwards.He expressed the intention of the country to cooperate
with defence partners in these niche technologies with focus on
knowledge sharing and co-production.
Shri
Rajnath Singh assured that India can take on the role of being the net
security provider in the region adding that air power has and would
continue to play a critical role in maintaining regional stability and
peace in the region. Recalling Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s
historic keynote address at ShangriLa Dialogue-2018, Shri Rajnath Singh
said that the Prime Minister had articulated the key role of India’s
Armed Forces in building partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region for
peace and security, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster
relief.
Raksha
Mantri further said that India’s unique disposition in the Indian Ocean
Region complimented by a potent airlift capability of IAF enables it to
contribute significantly in Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR)
missions.He pointed out that in the last five years itself India has
tackled roughly about 100 contingencies during which more than 6,000
sorties have been flown evacuating over 44,000 persons in distress. He
said India had been regularly conducting exercises to deepen HADR
cooperation and coordination with neighbours with focus on sharing
expertise and assisting capability building.
Earlier
in his opening remarks, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS
Bhadauria pointed out that amid the COVID-19 pandemic, rising mistrust
and geopolitical tensions have reinforced the need for mature and
balanced cooperation at the international level. In this backdrop, there
is a need to strengthen mutual understanding and existing security
frameworks based on the principles of cooperation, collaboration and
co-existence, he stressed, recalling that the IAF has built bridges of
friendship through numerous bilateral and multilateral exercises with a
large number of nations who share common values and interest in
maintaining peace and stability. He said conclaves such as the current
one, provide an opportunity to discuss current and emerging security
challenges and enhance cooperation among the air forces.
Referring
to the changing nature of warfare Chief of Air Staff said that advent
of new technology and cross linking of physical, digital and cognitive
domains have complicated the art of fighting. The understanding of
national boundaries has shifted beyond classical definitions, he said.
He added that low cost and easy availability of technology to state or
non-state actors have made them more lethal and capable of generating
disproportionate effects. He said that the IAF was closely observing
these developments and was working on capabilities in the unmanned and
optionally manned platforms, manned unmanned teaming and anti-drone
technology.He highlighted the growing criticality of space-based
technologies for modern warfare and the importance of software
capabilities in the digital great game. Chief of Defence Staff General
Bipin Rawat was also present in the Conclave.
(With input from news agency language)
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