India’s defence exports touched 23,000 crore rupees last year and are expected to double within the next two to three years, said Dr. Sameer Kamat, Secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT). He was addressing a press conference in Pune on Saturday after DIAT’s 14th convocation ceremony.
Dr. Kamat stated that Indian defence equipment has high demand in Middle Eastern, African, and South Asian countries. Work is underway to develop a smaller version of the BrahMos missile, while the development of the Zorawar light tank is also progressing rapidly.
Addressing the convocation, he noted that during ‘Operation Sindhur’, the Indian Armed Forces were significantly supported by DRDO-developed indigenous weapons, armaments, and equipment. To achieve complete self-reliance in missile and equipment production, 15 Centres of Excellence are being established with the support of the defence industry and academic institutions.
