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This is an archive article published on October 15, 2022
Defence exports to cross Rs. 13,000 cr, Gujarat to get 5th airbase
The event, which will be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 19, will also see the virtual opening of a new Indian Air Force (IAF) base built at Deesa near the Indo-Pakistan border, Defence secretary Ajay Kumar told media persons Friday.
At present, Gujarat has air bases in Vadodara, Jamnagar, Bhuj and Naliya in Kutch district.
(Representational/File)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will chair the second India-Africa defence dialogue and a conclave of defence ministers of over 25 countries during the DefExpo 2022, scheduled to begin in Gandhinagar on October 18.
The event, which will be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 19, will also see the virtual opening of a new Indian Air Force (IAF) base built at Deesa near the Indo-Pakistan border, Defence secretary Ajay Kumar told media persons Friday.
At present, Gujarat has air bases in Vadodara, Jamnagar, Bhuj and Naliya in Kutch district.
On October 18, Rajnath Singh will chair the second India-Africa defence dialogue at a hotel near Mahatma Mandir, while on October 19, he is expected to chair the IOR+ Defence Ministers conclave at the same venue. Over 25 defence ministers from Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and other counties will be present. At a media briefing on Friday, Sanjay Jaju, Additional Secretary (Defence production), MoD, said, “We have added countries with export possibilities in this conclave.”
Last year, Singh had stated that India was ready to supply military equipment to countries in IOR where China is asserting its presence.
Kumar on Friday said that India’s defence exports is expected to exceed the Rs 13,000-crore mark it touched last year, adding that United States is the biggest importer of the country’s defence products.
Kumar, who was in Gandhinagar to review the preparations for DefExpo 2020 — scheduled to be held between October 18-22, said, “In the past four-five years, there has been a eight-fold increase in defence exports from India. Last year, our defence exports touched a record Rs 13,000 crore and we hope to exceed this during coming years. Today, what our industry is manufacturing, is not a copy-paste. We are making our original technologies.”
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“Our highest defence exports are to the United States, where we supply a number of parts and components and sub-assemblies for various platforms. Apart from this, Philippines, Armenia, Israel and south-east Asian countries. In the coming days, we will be exporting to South America,” Jaju added.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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