Focus on niche areas Vice Chief of Air Staff to private firms in defence sector

    New Delhi, Dec 1 (PTI) Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari on Monday advised members of the private industry in the defence sector to "focus on niche areas" where they have the "strength", rather than spreading themselves too thin by trying to dabble in too many areas.
     In his address at a seminar held here on the theme of defence partnership, he also said, "We have to look at how to make our current aircraft and platforms capable of taking the next-generation weapons, which would involve inter-link and data links, so you can have a man-unmanned teaming functioning."
     Various IAF officials, defence experts and representatives of many firms working in the defence sector are attending the seminar hosted by a defence think-tank, Centre for Aerospace Power and Strategic Studies and Indian Military Review (IMR), at the Manekshaw Centre.
     The Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCAS) said his advice to the industry is to think of their role in the "long-term".
     "Big companies need to play a role. Big companies need to become integration houses, more than developing all technologies by itself," he said.
     The top IAF officer said efforts from the members of the private firms in the defence sector should be such that "each becomes a niche in its own area".
     "There is a tendency to dabble in too many things at the same time; it essentially makes you lose focus, you are not able to concentrate on which direction to go," the VCAS underlined.
     He cited the case of aero engine technology to buttress his point.
     "While government will play a big role, maybe DRDO will be involved, but there will be enough in it for the private sector, and also at the component level, whether it is pumps, combustion chamber, fuel injector, a lot of these things can be developed right from scratch," the air officer said.
     In Europe, they make very niche equipment, but they are "so good" that even the major aerospace firms need them for their requirements, he added.
     "Please focus on niche areas, preferably one or two areas, where you have the strength, rather than spreading (oneself) too thin," the VCAS urged the industry members.
     "Similarly, on the weapon side, we are looking at longer-range, more precise weapons. So, seekers, sensors, propellants, guidance systems, even the software that goes behind it, in these areas, we can do tremendously well because the capacity and the skill level are there," he said.
     The VCAS emphasised the need to put all together on a "common platform".
     He further said that AI, man-unmanned teaming, "is going to be a big thing in the future".
     In the drone area, there is a "huge market", the air officer said.
     "That is where India is in a sweet spot. There is a fair amount of geopolitical stability, unlike in many other parts of the world. And, we have the human capital and the resources today to go to the next level," he said.
     The IAF officer emphasised the importance of 'aatmanirbharta', and added that "whatever we make here should not be restricted to our armed forces, but it should have the quality and the capacity to actually make it for the world".
     He added that the government has to "play a big role", especially in defence research and development.
     The VCAS also visited some of the stalls put up by firms as part of the event, and interacted with their representatives.
     Later, interacting with reporters on the sidelines of the event, the air officer said such events are very important for the IAF.
     "If you need true strategic independence, it is important that our industry, especially the defence industry, develops... focuses on research and development and ensures that we are able to do all the things that are required to stop importing defence equipment... That is our final aim," he said.
     "Our industry should be able to produce everything that is needed for our defence forces, not only for our own, but can also make it for the world," the VCAS said.
     It is a very "good initiative" to have business-to-business meetings, as well as business-to-government meetings, because a lot of things get clarified, and "we can ensure that what is required is known to the industry and, similarly, we understand the industry's problems and we are able to look into it and work on solutions", he said.
     He also responded to a query on the IAF's partnership with academia to foster innovation.
     "We have the Directorate of Aerospace Design which has been functioning for over three years. They have done a wonderful job, because they have worked along with the industry, and a lot of the products today are already in the market," the VCAS said.
     He also mentioned about innovation being promoted through iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) and TDF (Technology Development Fund) platforms, and 'Make' projects.
     "Besides, we have signed a lot of MoUs with various academic institutions, and today we are partnering with many academic institutions to develop solutions, especially where AI is involved, Machine Learning is involved.
     "Those are the areas where academic participation and involvement can do wonders because we have a good research base and a lot of people available to supply the kind of products that we require," he said.
     A forum like this allows the IAF to explore which industry's expertise "we can bank on to develop the next-generation products for us", the VCAS said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)