A
Apoorva Devanshi
Guest
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a sortie on Tejas aircraft in Bengaluru, Karnataka on Saturday. The Indigenous LCA Tejas Mk1 is a fighter aircraft developed by Bharat that can carry eight Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) missiles. Integrating all native and advanced weapons from other countries. But interestingly, it took more than three long decades for the squadron to become a reality.
The Government of India first started the LCA program in 1983 to replace the ageing Mig 21 fighter planes. However, several missed deadlines and various problems plagued the aim of IAF to get the indigenous warplane airborne. The major hurdle in its manufacturing was-
Yet here we are, with LCA Tejas MK1A, Mk2 which will take wings in 2024 and with our defense exports at nearly 16,000 crores in FY 2022-23.
Thanks to the efforts of the current government as the LCA project was almost dead and shelfed until the Modi Government gave a new lease of life to it and strived to make the LCA the base platform for India’s indigenous combat jet developments in the future.
But how has a developing country like Bharat, the land of snake charmers and cows, managed to manufacture and take such a drastic technological leap?
It is because of Bharat’s active foreign policy and active leadership under PM Narendra Modi. It has strategically created an ecosystem with initiatives like- start up India, digital India and Atal innovation mission, etc. because of which we have been able to make better use of our talented engineers and resources. Now advanced countries are keen on partnering with Bharat. It also has a strong tradition of the rule of law that protects intellectual property and ensures the enforceability of contracts—unlike China, which is fast losing access to many advanced Western technologies. Thus making Bharat a better partner.
The development of Tejas testifies the imperatives of internal balancing in international relations. It is the ability of a state or nation to maintain internal balance by depending on its own resources and initiatives to strengthen itself.
In general, the internal balancing strategy is more expensive when it comes to building military might. However, Bharat has already demonstrated a willingness to fortify itself by striking an internal balance between its resources and by buying advanced technologies, which it cannot produce by itself, like General Electric F404 jet engine and Israel Aerospace Industries’ radar and electronic warfare systems, etc.
All the raw materials used for the aircraft, the basic designing aspects, and all the mathematical proficiency and metallurgy involved are a product of completely indigenous efforts. This indigenization has not been simply about creating a defense ecosystem where indigenous development weapons can thrive, but has been equally about getting the end user to use and accept these weapons as viable alternatives , that is, the Indian armed services.
It is because of strong political support, be it, in the form of budget allocations, the initiatives like Make in India, or an active dedicated foreign policy that today armed forces culture is changing towards indigenous development. From importing nuts and bolts to LCA being renamed as Tejas (meaning radiant in Sanskrit) to flying indigenously built LCA Tejas. It is truly a radiant saga of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The post Tejas – A Saga of Atmanirbhar Bharat appeared first on The Jaipur Dialogues.
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Background –
The Government of India first started the LCA program in 1983 to replace the ageing Mig 21 fighter planes. However, several missed deadlines and various problems plagued the aim of IAF to get the indigenous warplane airborne. The major hurdle in its manufacturing was-
- Lack of political will under UPA, which had kept many critical defense deals pending.
- Even though our Army was suffering from serious obsolescence in its artillery and air defense equipment’s such as the underperforming rifles –INSAS or the insufficient supply of bulletproof jackets, to the Indian Navy, which was facing strings of accidents related to heat issues, to the Indian Air Force, which was struggling as it was in dire need of combat jets, yet little was done during the UPA to address these issues of national security.
- Apart from this, red tapism, sanctions imposed by US when Bharat had successfully conducted nuclear tests and several technical blocks created by Missile technology control Regime (MTCR) played a role in the delay process.
Current scenario –
Yet here we are, with LCA Tejas MK1A, Mk2 which will take wings in 2024 and with our defense exports at nearly 16,000 crores in FY 2022-23.
Thanks to the efforts of the current government as the LCA project was almost dead and shelfed until the Modi Government gave a new lease of life to it and strived to make the LCA the base platform for India’s indigenous combat jet developments in the future.
But how has a developing country like Bharat, the land of snake charmers and cows, managed to manufacture and take such a drastic technological leap?
It is because of Bharat’s active foreign policy and active leadership under PM Narendra Modi. It has strategically created an ecosystem with initiatives like- start up India, digital India and Atal innovation mission, etc. because of which we have been able to make better use of our talented engineers and resources. Now advanced countries are keen on partnering with Bharat. It also has a strong tradition of the rule of law that protects intellectual property and ensures the enforceability of contracts—unlike China, which is fast losing access to many advanced Western technologies. Thus making Bharat a better partner.
Conclusion-
The development of Tejas testifies the imperatives of internal balancing in international relations. It is the ability of a state or nation to maintain internal balance by depending on its own resources and initiatives to strengthen itself.
In general, the internal balancing strategy is more expensive when it comes to building military might. However, Bharat has already demonstrated a willingness to fortify itself by striking an internal balance between its resources and by buying advanced technologies, which it cannot produce by itself, like General Electric F404 jet engine and Israel Aerospace Industries’ radar and electronic warfare systems, etc.
All the raw materials used for the aircraft, the basic designing aspects, and all the mathematical proficiency and metallurgy involved are a product of completely indigenous efforts. This indigenization has not been simply about creating a defense ecosystem where indigenous development weapons can thrive, but has been equally about getting the end user to use and accept these weapons as viable alternatives , that is, the Indian armed services.
It is because of strong political support, be it, in the form of budget allocations, the initiatives like Make in India, or an active dedicated foreign policy that today armed forces culture is changing towards indigenous development. From importing nuts and bolts to LCA being renamed as Tejas (meaning radiant in Sanskrit) to flying indigenously built LCA Tejas. It is truly a radiant saga of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The post Tejas – A Saga of Atmanirbhar Bharat appeared first on The Jaipur Dialogues.
Continue reading...