When Dr V Sumantran, the renowned automotive and aerospace technologist, was a student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, he was shown an aircraft engine that was being developed. That was the Kaveri engine that was meant to be fitted into the indigenously-developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. “Forty-five years down the line, the engine is still in the test-bed,” Sumantran observed while delivering the keynote address at the 186th annual day of the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which was held on July 22.
Tejas aircraft are today equipped with GE engines. The Tejas fighter is a “glimmer of hope,” with some countries, such as Malaysia, showing interest in buying it, Sumantran said. However, apart from Tejas, India has lagged in Defence equipment manufacture. Because India is dependent upon other countries for major defence supplies the country is vulnerable, particularly in today’s geo-political context. “If we buy S-400s from the Russians, we run the risk of pissing off the Americans,” he said. Therefore, India is “between a rock and hard place.”
Sumantran observed that many countries that were not really seen as great experts in technology have overtaken India. For example, the Bakhtiyar drones used by Ukraine in its war with Russia are made by Turkey. Sumantran said that the Turkish drones were arguably the best in the market at the moment and pointed out that 20 years ago, Turkey wouldn’t be considered to be a place for purchase of military equipment. He also observed that there were reports that Russian generals were in Iran, shopping for military drones. Now, Turkey and Iran are not great defence equipment exporters; but the countries seem to have developed sophisticated drones. It is high time for India to catch up. Incidentally, the Central Government is providing an incentive of Rs 120 crore to drone manufacturers and drone component manufacturers under the PLI scheme.
India’s lag in defence production reflects the sluggishness in R&D in its overall manufacturing. He noted that in 2004, the then UPA government set up a National Manufacturing Competitive Council with the avowed intention of raising the contribution of India’s manufacturing sector to the GDP from 14 per cent to 25 per cent in ten years and creating 100 million jobs. The Council was headed by the renowned bureaucrat, V Krishnamurthy, (who passed away recently,) and Sumantran was a member. Eighteen years later, India’s manufacturing still accounts for 14 per cent of GDP. “We haven’t moved the needle at all,” Sumantran said.
“India has much to be grateful for and less to complain about. Satisfactory levels of inflation, external debt, a pick-up in private investments, sustained capital expenditure by the government, moderate depreciation of the rupee and good export performance,” said India’s CEA Dr V Anantha Nageswaran chief guest at a function.
