Indigenous weapons pipped Chinese systems in Operation Sindoor, says DRDO chief
Nagpur:
Operation Sindoor
undoubtedly proved the superiority of India's indigenous weapons systems over those made in China, said chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Samir Kamat, here on Thursday.
"Pakistan deployed an array of systems procured from China. Our indigenous weapons easily outmatched the Chinese systems pitched by Pakistan," said Kamat.
However, he said some lessons were learnt from the conflict, and the country's premier defence research agency will look at improvements and induction of newer weapon systems. Not divulging specifics, he said some measures will be taken on an urgent basis. At the same time, he stressed the country's air defence system has proven to be highly effective.
Kamat was in the city to tour the defence manufacturing establishments located here, including Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL), a private sector ammunition maker, apart from DRDO's own chemical warfare unit and a facility of Brahmos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL).
The Nagastra-1 loitering munition made by Solar was reportedly used in Operation Sindoor. Even the propulsion system of BrahMos missiles that pounded Pakistan came from the company.
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Talking to TOI, Kamat said the purpose of the visit was to check facilities here, and coming to Nagpur was very fruitful. "It's important to have a robust private sector that's involved in both manufacturing and R&D to sustain long-drawn conflicts," he said.
Kamat said a variety of systems can be put in place to counter drone attacks. He also mentioned that a range of sensors that can be used to detect and neutralise drones are expected to be inducted over the next six months or a year.
Kamat also stressed upon the need to coordinate between stakeholders in the defence sector, including the PSU and private manufacturers.
On indigenisation of conventional systems, he said the country is swiftly moving towards it. For example, in artillery, Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) and Dhanush guns have been developed. There may be some subsystems that have to be imported, but the dependence on foreign sources has reduced, he said.
On upcoming systems, he said DRDO includes VSHORADS, man-portable air defence systems, man-portable anti-tank guided missiles (MPTAGM), vertically launched short-range surface-to-air missiles (VLSRSAM), heavyweight and advanced lightweight torpedoes.
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