Platform for Made in India defence products, says Bhamre at concluding ceremony of Bimstec in Pune
On the sidelines of the exercise, an equipment display was organised under the aegis of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), which had showcased among many indigenous products, Tata Motors’ two indigenously built combat vehicles - 4X4 mine protected vehicle (MPV) and WhAP 8x8 infantry combat vehicle (ICV).
Subhash Bhamre, minister of state for defence, on Sunday, said that the multinational forum of Bimstec (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) will act as a platform to promote India’s indigenous defence products to our neighbouring countries.
The MoS Defence said this against the backdrop of the concluding ceremony of the Bimstec joint military exercise (Milex 2018) held at the Foreign training node in Aundh, Pune.
“It is our ministry and our Prime Minister’s vision promote indigenisation and harness the capability of not only the public sector, but also harness the capability of the private sector. We have enough talent and we need to promote them,” Bhamre said.
On the sidelines of the exercise, an equipment display was organised under the aegis of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), which had showcased among many indigenous products, Tata Motors’ two indigenously built combat vehicles - 4X4 mine protected vehicle (MPV) and WhAP 8x8 infantry combat vehicle (ICV).
The event was witnessed by MoS Defence and the service chiefs of the participating nations of Bimstec and was a platform for India to showcase its Made in India defence products to its neighbours.
More than 250 indigenously developed defence-related equipment were on display and almost 20 different agencies dealing with defence equipment participated in the display. These included ordnance factories, defence and research development organisation (DRDO), leading private sector companies and startups, all showcasing some of the latest weapon systems and vehicles produced indigenously.
Consistent with India’s neighbourhood first and Act East policy, the Bimstec forum can help the country boost its defence exports in the south Asian neighbourhood.
“If you want to sustain the defence industry, export is a must. In this exhibition many Indian companies and public sector undertakings have designed, developed and displayed defence equipment, weapons and platforms and it showcases our capabilities and we want our neighbours to have a look at it,” added Bhamre.
Member nations of Bimstec include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Nepal.
Vernon Noronha, vice-president for defence and government business at Tata Motors claimed that these products are a validation of its expertise to offer mobility solutions for counter-insurgency and combat operations of the security forces in the country as well as abroad. The ICV has been jointly developed with the defence research and development organisation (DRDO), he said.
The company recently signed major military vehicle supply contracts with Bimstec nations, he said, adding that these vehicles include Xenon GS 800 to Myanmar, and other combat vehicles to Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and mission specific logistic vehicles for UN Peacekeeping missions.
