https://sputniknews.in/20251017/flight-of-self-reliance-rajnath-singh-inaugurates-new-production-line-of-lca-mk1a-9938674.html
Flight of Self-Reliance: Rajnath Singh Inaugurates New Production Line of LCA Mk1A
Flight of Self-Reliance: Rajnath Singh Inaugurates New Production Line of LCA Mk1A
Sputnik India
With indigenisation being the central figure in India's defence procurement, emphasis is now being given on the development of home-grown military equipment. 17.10.2025, Sputnik India
2025-10-17T15:40+0530
2025-10-17T15:40+0530
2025-10-18T11:40+0530
defenсe news
rajnath singh
india
indian air force (iaf)
lca tejas
hindustan aeronautics limited (hal)
military equipment
military spending
ministry of defence (mod)
defense sector
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.in/img/07e8/03/1c/6971438_0:158:3024:1859_1920x0_80_0_0_eb62f2132d91ae2d94a988e9ea6f947e.jpg
In what is being seen as giving more teeth to the Indian Air Force (IAF), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday inaugurated a new production line of the latest version of the country's locally produced warplane, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A, at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) Nashik Facility.Also, Singh flagged off the first of the LCA Mk1As from the manufacturing unit.The minister termed the flight of the LCA Mk1A, which has state-of-the-art avionics, a modern electronic warfare suite, amongst other advanced technologies, as a "shining symbol of India's growing Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence".He emphasised that India was now producing 65% critical military equipment at home, a huge turnaround from the 65-70% that it once imported from foreign nations.
https://sputniknews.in/20251017/indian-air-force-jumps-to-third-spot-in-global-air-power-rankings-wdmma-9937726.html
india
Sputnik India
feedback.hindi@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
2025
Pawan Atri
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.in/img/07e6/0c/13/139630_147:0:831:684_100x100_80_0_0_8fa2b25903e7787fe6a2698552c167df.png
Pawan Atri
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.in/img/07e6/0c/13/139630_147:0:831:684_100x100_80_0_0_8fa2b25903e7787fe6a2698552c167df.png
News
en_IN
Sputnik India
feedback.hindi@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
Sputnik India
feedback.hindi@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
Pawan Atri
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.in/img/07e6/0c/13/139630_147:0:831:684_100x100_80_0_0_8fa2b25903e7787fe6a2698552c167df.png
rajnath singh, india, indian air force (iaf), lca tejas, hindustan aeronautics limited (hal), military equipment, military spending, ministry of defence (mod), defense sector, make in india, self-reliant india
rajnath singh, india, indian air force (iaf), lca tejas, hindustan aeronautics limited (hal), military equipment, military spending, ministry of defence (mod), defense sector, make in india, self-reliant india
Flight of Self-Reliance: Rajnath Singh Inaugurates New Production Line of LCA Mk1A
15:40 17.10.2025 (Updated: 11:40 18.10.2025) With indigenisation being the central figure in India's defence procurement, emphasis is now being given on the development of home-grown military equipment.
In what is being seen as giving more teeth to the Indian Air Force (IAF), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday inaugurated a new production line of the latest version of the country's locally produced warplane, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A, at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) Nashik Facility.
Also, Singh flagged off the first of the LCA Mk1As from the manufacturing unit.
The minister termed the flight of the LCA Mk1A, which has
state-of-the-art avionics, a modern electronic warfare suite, amongst other advanced technologies, as a "shining symbol of India's growing Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence".
He emphasised that India was now producing 65% critical military equipment at home, a huge turnaround from the 65-70% that it once imported from foreign nations.
"When we came to power in 2014, we realised that without self-reliance, we can never be truly secure. In the beginning, we faced numerous challenges, the biggest being 'limited defence preparedness' and 'import dependency'. Everything was limited to Government enterprises, and the private sector had no significant participation in the production ecosystem. In addition, there was not enough focus on defence planning, advanced technology, and innovation. This forced us to depend on other countries for critical equipment and cutting-edge systems, which increased costs & created strategic vulnerabilities, " Singh said in his address at Nashik.
"This challenge encouraged us to move forward in the direction of new thinking and reforms. The results are visible today. We not only reduced import dependency, but also strengthened our commitment to indigenisation. Whatever we used to buy from abroad, we are now manufacturing it domestically, be it fighter aircraft, missiles, engines and electronic warfare systems," he concluded.
