TOP 5 WEAPONS INDIA EXPORTING INTRODUCTION: India accounted for 14 per cent of total weapons imports between 2011 and 2015. India remains the world’s largest weapons importer over the five-year period according to latest report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). India is not known to export defense equipments. But in last 2 years , India under the leadership of PM Modi is trying to change that, with ‘Make in India’ initiative. The idea is to design & manufacture in India & export it to other countries, which will bring in foreign exchange. Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar has set a target to raise India’s defense exports to $2 billion in the next two years from the current $330 million In this video , we will look into 5 products , India is exporting or plans to export over the next few years. AKASH MISSILE: Akash is a Surface-To-Air Missile System developed by DRDO with contribution from 61 Indian public and private sector companies. Its all-weather missile, enjoying high immunity against active and passive jamming & is designed to kill adversaries at an altitude as low as 30 meters to as high as 18 to 20 km. The best part is that DRDO coordinated work with other agencies, including the users that is the Indian Airforce & Indian Army to produce this system. It has found takers among friendly foreign nations such as Thailand and Belarus, which have shown and expressed interest in acquiring the Akash missile system. SHIPS & PATROL VEHICLES: MCGS Barracuda built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata, for National Coast Guard of Mauritius is an example of successful export. India joined the elite club of warship exporters when GRSE delivered it to Mauritius on 20 December 2014. The contract was worth $58.5 million. The Indian government has already cleared export of 13 warships to Mauritius, which will be supplied over the next few years. This include two Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs) and 11 Fast Attack Crafts. India also has agreed on supplying ships to Vietnam. The sale of at least four patrol vessels comes as part of the $100 million credit line for military equipments extended to Vietnam by India. The patrol vessels will be about 35 meters in length, 10 meters broad. These will have specialized Aluminum Hull, & will be used to patrol the waters close to the shore. Vietnam needs at least 7 more such ships ,and GRSE is expected to get the order for the rest of the ships as well. Besides, it is also in the race to export two light Frigates - about 3500 tons each at a total cost of Rs. 2000 crore - to The Philippines. LCH: The HAL LIGHT COMBAT HELICOPTER (LCH) is a multirole combat helicopter being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for use by the Indian Defense forces. It has now caught the eye of African countries. According to a PTI report, India is in talks with “certain” countries in Africa for possible export of the LCH. Japan has also shown keen interest in acquiring the HAL LCH, after it became the first helicopter of its kind ,to have landed at an altitude of 16,000 feet from the sea level. No other light combat helicopter has achieved this feat. BRAHMOS: The BrahMos is a ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is considered to the the most deadly Anti ship missile. It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroeyenia and India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) ,who have together formed BrahMos Aerospace. Talks are in advanced stage with Vietnam for export. Negotiations are also currently underway with Chile, Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia. Tejas: The HAL Tejas is a single-seat, single-jet engine, multi-role light fighter designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for Indian Airforce. Sources said enquiries by foreign countries came during the Bahrain air show in January, the very first time that Tejas flew outside the country. As per the report Sri Lanka, Egypt have shown interest in the aircraft. Sri Lanka had recently rejected Pakistan's JF-17 aircraft built with Chinese help, & is now looking into Tejas. Egypt had last year signed a contract for 24 French-made Rafale fighter jets, & are now looking acquire some multirole light fighter. Interestingly, soon after the announcement of Tejas' participation in Bahrain, Pakistan had withdrawn its JF-17 aircraft from the show despite having paid the initial installment which ran into a few millions US dollars.