Defence Expo 2016: IAI says 'Make in India' a way of living in the country

QUEPEM (GOA): For Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), 'Make in India' is a way of living in the country, says Shalom Revivo, Director of Corporate Marketing India Operations. At the Defence Expo 2016, Revivo told Economictimes.com, "Make in India is a way of living in India, since we have over 100 projects here. To perform those projects we have collaborate with so many industries in India."



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"We had an offset obligation of more than $1 billion, we have already spent half a billion dollars in India. So yes, we are doing 'Make in India' for many years now," he said.

Talking about the new Defence Procurement Policy (DPP), Revivo said, "It is too early to comment, but according to what I have learnt, only a part of DPP has been published. But, I think the direction is more towards 'Make in India' and indigenous equipment. We are willing to develop with any agency, whether it is private or PSU." "We are willing to develop a product for India, for exports. We are doing this in other countries around the world as well," he added.





However, Revivo cautioned, "Indigenous is not the only important thing. Time to market is very important as well. Armed forces around the world want the best of products. You may develop a defence product and take 20 years to do it, and when it is ready, no one will buy it. So time is very crucial."

The Barak 8 missile, which was recently test fired from Indian Navy's INS Kolkata, has been manufactured by IAI in collaboration with DRDO. "We are co-developing systems with DRDO, like the Barak 8 missile. I am sure the collaborations will increase in coming years. There are projects in the pipeline in the areas of radars and air defence systems," Revivo said.

IAI is also confident of its scope in the Indian UAV market. "We are almost dominating in the UAV space in India with the Air Force, Navy and Army. We are collaborating with partners here and we plan to extend this partnership, to even manufacture our UAVs here in India. It will happen within the next few years," he said.