In order to meet the defence requirements of the country, R&D in defence has to be nurtured and exploited in both private and public domains said the government on Wednesday.
Domestic enterprises should be encouraged to contribute to minimise the import factor, opined MM Pallam Raju, minister of state for defence. India is one of the largest importers of military hardware in the world.
?Development of a family of anti-tank guided missiles by domestic enterprises will take India a step closer to self reliance,? said Raju, who was speaking at International Missile Technology Seminar on Future Anti ?Tank Guided Missiles organised jointly by directorate of mechanised forces, ministry of defence and an industry body.
Raju further said that this would help in harnessing core competitiveness of industry in the fields of R&D, manufacturing, design and development. This would further help in synergising resources and infrastructure that would pave way for mutually beneficial joint ventures.
Praising the Indian industry for its contribution in the sector, army chief general VK Singh, said that the engagement of Indian industry in the defence sector has been laudable, and it can develop what the nation needs.
According to Singh, technology has been changing and impacting the type of equipment needed by defence. It is getting imperative to imbibe whatever cutting edge technology is available in the equipment.