India on path to weapons self-sufficiency but still lags behind China: experts
As
India embarks on its path to self-sufficiency in modern weapons production to shore up its defence clout, its military inventory may have already surpassed arch rival Pakistan's, but still lags behind China.
The drive is marked by New Delhi's latest bid to acquire the Rs 30,000 crore (US$3.6 billion) Indigenous Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) system, after it fended off Turkish-origin drones and Chinese-made missiles launched by Pakistan last month at the height of clashes.
The proposal for three QRSAM regiments is expected to be reviewed by the Ministry of Defence in a coming meeting of the defence acquisition council set for later this month, according to Indian news agency ANI.
Foreign-affairs specialist Robinder Sachdev, founder and president of Delhi-based think tank Imagindia Institute, says the QRSAM system is a critical addition to India's layered air defence network, developed indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
'Following the waves of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones and Chinese-origin Wing Loong-II UCAVs deployed by Pakistan, India is investing in capabilities that offer rapid mobility, autonomous response, and indigenous sustainability,' Sachdev said.
India's defence procurement now centred on indigenisation, Sachdev said, adding it was estimated that in the financial year 2024–25, more than 65 per cent of defence capital procurement contracts were awarded to domestic vendors.
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