India is set to showcase its defence manufacturing capabilities to air force leaders from around 40 countries on the margins of Tarang Shakti, the Indian Air Force’s largest multilateral combat exercise to be held in Jodhpur from September 26 to October 12, as New Delhi steps up efforts to boost its military exports, officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday.
The visit to Bengaluru is planned for September 29, followed by Vadodara on October 3. This comes weeks after defence minister Rajnath Singh released Raksha, a 10-year strategic roadmap for India’s defence diplomacy, outlining the country’s vision for strengthening global partnerships and driving exports.
The visiting air force brass will be briefed at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Bengaluru, and at the C295 production line in Vadodara, offering them a close look at India’s defence capabilities and strides in indigenous manufacturing, the officials said. India is no longer only looking at what it can buy from the world, but also at what it can develop, manufacture and offer to others, IAF vice chief Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said.
Defence exports are a key government priority. India recently reorganised its defence attaché network abroad to boost military exports, focusing on countries likely to buy weapons and systems from India rather than those selling military hardware to it. Several policy reforms have been ushered in by the government in the past few years to boost the Indian defence industry, including simplification of the industrial licensing procedure, removal of parts and components from the licence regime, and simplification of export authorisation. The defence ministry has also initiated reforms to streamline procedures and ease foreign market access for the Indian industry.
