The Russia-Ukraine war has shown that the time of building missiles costing millions of dollars to shoot down unmanned vehicles like the drones has become obsolete is over and the focus should be on anti-drone technology by the defence and aerospace industry, said TS Special Secretary-Invest E. Vishu Vardhan Reddy on Thursday.
Addressing a gathering of scientists, technocrats and industrialists at the one-day ‘Defence & Space Conclave – Enabling a global eco-system for innovations in disruptive technologies’ held by the CII, Mr. Reddy said the ongoing war had shown that there is lot to ‘catch up’ by the country on the aerospace arena.
The Telangana government has been according top priority to the sector and is actively confabulating with the premier universities in United Kingdom, France and United States to set up an exclusive aerospace university and is hopeful of grounding it early next year, he disclosed.
Hyderabad hosts close to 1,000 micro, small and medium scale industries involved in the sector and the government is quite keen to help them scale up and is ready to collaborate with the industrial associations to set up an ennobling eco-system in place, said Mr. Reddy.
Former chairman of the DRDO and president of the Aeronautical Society of India G. Satheesh Reddy said industry needs assured supply orders, funding and research and development facilities for the country to become an exporter in the aerospace area.
“We have come a long way over the years where 60% of our needs are being met indigenously but we can do more with emerging disruptive technologies and smart materials,” he said, tracing the growth of the sector over the last 40 years.
Midhani Chairman and Managing Director S.K. Jha and DRDO-DG Chandrika Kaushik said both the organisations are ready for collaborations from inception to the finishing stage for making various materials, components and entire products too in a wide range used in the strategic fields including missiles, arms, weapons, communication systems, etc.
Ananth Technologies chairman and managing director Subba Rao Pavuluri sought a level playing field for the industry. Bharat Biotech executive director and CII-TS vice chairman Sai D. Prasad also spoke.
