Satheesh Reddy underscores the need for qualitative research and development to achieve success

DRDO chairman and secretary of the department of defence R&D Satheesh Reddy called for the academia, research labs and micro, small and medium enterprises, to come together to form a complete ecosystem for strong growth in the defence and aerospace sector.

The sector is expected to flourish in the near future and Hyderabad already having a strong base in defence and aerospace will be in the forefront, he said, and underscored the need for qualitative research and development to achieve success, for India to emerge as a leading exporter in defence products.

Dr. Reddy was addressing the 5th edition of the annual flagship event, Defence Conclave - Strategies for bridging technology, start-ups and exports in India’s defence sector, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Telangana virtually on Thursday.

The government has earmarked 64% of defence procurement budget for the local industry and a lot of effort is going into strengthening local capabilities. Domestic supply chains need to thrive and network with original equipment manufacturers, said additional secretary, department of defence production, Sanjay Jaju.

TS Industries secretary Jayesh Ranjan said that the State happens to be the hub of both start-ups, defence production and defence research. A perfect ecosystem that can bridge the gaps in technology, start-ups and exports and enhance the country’s defence capabilities, he said, and suggested policy level interventions in creation of level playing field for new generation entrepreneurs to enter into the sector.

Chairman and MD of Ananth Technologies and CII TS convenor P Subba Rao said that the defence industrial policy has to be supplemented by the strategy for exports without which the economic base of the industry would be difficult to sustain in the present economic competitive environment.

CII CMD Sameer Goel sought online export authorisation procedures to be streamlined through portals. Kalyani Rafael CEO and MD Rudra Jadeja said that policy interventions are required in technology transfer, foreign direct investment and conducive environment for sustainability of business operations, said a press release.