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Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force,
Air Chief Marshal Norman A K Browne, delivered
the inaugural address while his predecessor Air
Chief Marshal P V Naik (Retd) set the tone by
his Keynote Adress. Air Chief Marsahl S P Tyagi
(Retd), chaired the conference as the N-SAT Chairman
from 2008, when the series began to provide a
forum for emerging aerospace technologies.
Governor of Chattisgarh and former Defence Secretary
Shekhar Dutt, Former Chief of Staff of the Royal
Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Lester
Torpy (Retd), Air Officer Commanding in Chief
of the Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force,
Air Marshal D C Kumaria, and senior officers of
the armed forces and industry made presentations
on emerging technologies worldwide.
Air Chief Marshal Browne said laid emphasis on
indigenization of critical technologies and told
the representatives of Indian and foreign industry
majors to get together to transfer technologies
to for collaborative ventures in India.
The country cannot be dependent on foreign sources
all the time, and although some hi tech systems
were difficult to get, the growing requirements
of India and the country’s offset policy would
facilitate ToT and joint ventures. Opportunities
in India were enormous, for both the Indian and
foreign companies, he observed.
Air Chief Marshal Naik and Air Chief Marshal
Tyagi endorsed the view, pointing out that IAF
had been seadily working towards not only numbers
but sophistication in capability.
All the speakers pointed to the necessity of
using more and more sophisticated systems with
Air Chief Marshal Torpy pointing out that while
the RAF used only 9 per cent precision weapons
in the first Gulf War in 1991, the figure now
was 100 per cent for its operations in Libya Air
Marshal Kumaria said that precision was important,
as it also turned out to be more humane by avoiding
unnecessary casualties. But precision attacks
warranted significant surveillance and intelligence
capability so that a weapon is dropped only where
it needs to be dropped.
On the technological level, the world is witnessing
two parallel streams of development – evolutionary
and revolutionary. While older systems continue
to be improved, new systems are being developed
by exploiting possibilities and opportunities
hat emerging technologies allow. Therefore, while
mid-21st century will witness the deployment of
5th generation of traditional fighter aircraft,
there would also be an ncreasing use of sophisticated
models of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for various
tasks that many variants of hter aircraft perform
today.
The country requires aerospace technology with
all its applications since it is futuristic and
is also increasingly utilitarian. Aerospace technology
enables effect-based operations and creates strategic
effects. Technological advances in aerospace will
also revolutionise military affair in general.
It should also expect aerospace technology yo
permeate the national security apparatus more
widely, including its use for internal security.
The aerospace sector has grown significantly
in India in recent years and looks set to continue
to expand. India is well positioned to play an
important role in defining and building the system-of-systems
architectures that are fundamental aerospace industries.
Aerospace technology is based on innovation,
creativity, and advanced echnical knowledge and
awareness. dia’s focus on education and ndt ural
entrepreneurship fits nicely into it. The key
to improving aerospace technology in India is
through strategic collaboration among government,
industry and scientific community.
Note: Excerpts
from the speeches would be published in the coming
edition. Editor.
Pics: R K Gautam
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