Is the induction of two Tejas light combat aircraft into the air force really a cause for celebration? The fighter took over 30 years to make and at the end of it only 35 percent of the plane was manufactured in the country. The engine, (GE F 404), ejection seat (Martin Baker), missile (R 73 E) and the multi-mode radar (Elta) are imported. The only part that is Indian is the airframe and control systems and of course, the pilot. The fact that the indigenous components in the jet was as low as 35 per cent was revealed by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. But he put his weight behind the plane and got the air force to accept it, albeit reluctantly. The fighter does not have full operational clearance by the air force. In a globalized world one does not have to reinvent the wheel and sourcing components from suppliers abroad is the done thing. But when major systems of the fighter are imported it puts a question mark on the claim that Tejas is an indigenously developed fighter. Even the BrahMos missile, which India intends to sell to Vietnam is 65 per cent imported while 55 per cent of the components of the Arjun tank come from abroad. The Comptroller and Auditor General has stated that 70 per cent of the products produced by DRDO laboratories are rejected by the armed forces. The quest for an industry-military complex is necessary, but without political handholding success is impossible.
