Urging Indian scientists to compress timelines in view of strategic requirements, the minister said, “We must assume that 20 years have already passed and we now have only 5–7 years left.”The minister said this while visiting DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) in Bengaluru and also witnessed the full afterburner engine test of the Kaveri engine, a much-delayed indigenous project that is being developed for the advanced fighter jets.Rajnath said, “We are rapidly moving towards the design and development of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The final partner will work with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) to build five AMCA prototypes by 2031 with the ministry’s initial allocation of Rs 15,000-crore.Rajnath described DRDO as the foundation of India’s strategic capability and stressed the need to achieve Aatmanirbharta in aero engine technology. The minister also launched the mountain fire control radar and flagged off the improved Akash weapon system from Bharat Electronics Ltd in Bengaluru.On Tuesday, the defence minister and his French minister of defence Catherine Vautrin, who is arriving in Bengaluru early Tuesday for the “India France Annual Bilateral Dailogue”, will inaugurate the Tata Advanced Systems’ final assembly line for the Airbus H125 helicopter in Kolar.He also welcomed joint studies with the UK and France under the National Aero Engine Mission, stating that such partnerships would help India understand technological challenges while building domestic capability.
Author: Surendra Singh
Published at: 2026-02-16 20:51:46
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