New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the export of Akash missile system. Along with this, it was also decided to set up a committee to make exports faster. This will help the country to improve its defense products and make them globally competitive. According to a Defense Ministry release, India is increasing its capabilities in manufacturing various types of defense equipments and missiles under self-reliant India.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, ‘Akash is an important missile of the country and it is 96 percent indigenous in nature. Akash is a surface-to-air missile and has a capacity of 25 km. He said that Akash’s export version would be different from the system currently deployed with the Indian Armed Forces.
Rajnath Singh said that in the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the proposal for export of Akash missile system was approved and it was also decided to constitute a committee to make exports faster. It is worth noting that Akash missile was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 2014 and the Indian Army in 2015.
According to the ministry’s statement, after its involvement in the defense services, several Allied countries shown interest in Akash missile during the International Exhibition / Defense Exhibition / Aero India. The approval by the Cabinet will facilitate Indian manufacturers to participate in the RFI / RFP issued by various countries. Indian defense exports so far included parts and components. The export of big platforms was minimal. This initiative of the Cabinet would help the country to improve its defense products and make them globally competitive.
According to the statement, interest in other major platforms such as coastal surveillance system, radars and air platforms is also being shown. It states, “To provide speedy approval for the export of such platforms, a committee of Defense Minister, external affairs Minister and National Security Advisor has been constituted.”
The ministry stated that this committee will authorize the export of major indigenous platforms to various countries. The committee would also explore various options available, including procurement from one government to another. It added that the Indian government has considered focusing on exporting high-value defense platforms to achieve the target of five billion US dollars in defense exports and to improve strategic relations with friendly countries.