‘Tech transfer needed for all defence firms’

Berlin, May 28: With a new defence procurement policy likely to be announced ahead of its September schedule, India on Wednesday made it clear to international defence manufacturers that it would proceed only with those firms who were prepared to transfer technology and make their Indian counterparts co-production partners.

"The era of procurement is over and the time for transfer of technology and co-production has come," defence minister A.K. Antony said on the sidelines of the ongoing Berlin Air Show in which India is a partner country.

Mr Antony said that over the period of time, India had emerged as a technological hub and its capabilities were known to the global companies. "We are also developing in the defence sectors and seeing this, India has become the first choice as the partner country in this year’s air show here," he said and added that it had given a good exposure to Indian manufacturers.

Maintaining that the government was committed to provide all modern weapons and equipment to the Army, Navy and the Air Force, Mr Antony said "We will not allow any lacunae to take place. There is no room for malfunctioning and wherever possible, we will like to go for indigenisation." The minister said that total transparency would be maintained in all the defence contracts.

— PTI