Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that India must immediately think about developing hypersonic cruise missiles in order to maintain a minimum credible deterrence. He made these remarks while speaking at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) event. With ballistic missile defence systems getting more robust in the current time, the defence minister said it is necessary for India to develop the hypersonic missile and also said that India should be ensured that India is a leader when it comes to defence technologies. India is planning to conduct another test of its hypersonic technology demonstrator vehicle (HSTDV), powered by a scramjet engine, by early next year, TOI said quoting its sources. China, Russia and the US are also actively developing hypersonic weapons that fly over five times the speed of sound making it a crucial step for India to step up their defence strength.
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DRDO Event | Key Points
1. “In order to maintain a minimum credible deterrence, we have to immediately think about hypersonic cruise missile development. It will be a revolutionary step in our defence sector and we all have to put our efforts into it,” the defence minister said.
2. He also said that the countries with defence innovation are the ones who have bested their enemies, leaving their mark on history and so India should also strengthen its defence and be prepared for any kind of adversity. "We have to obtain those technologies too that are with just a few countries right now," the minister added.
3. Rajnath Singh further said that the DRDO has developed multiple designs for the armed forces that have strengthened the security architecture of India. He also said that with changing times and trends, the defence requirements also keep evolving. The minister also highlighted that in the current time 'technology' is the greatest warrior.
4. "The integration and modernisation is not just happening by the efforts of the government. This is also happening because of the meeting of minds of our armed forces," he said. "When we talk of making the country a net defence exporter, the path goes through the collaboration between entities such as the DRDO, armed forces, private industries and academia," Singh added.
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5. Singh also officially handed over an indigenous anti-drone system, smart anti-airfield weapon (SAAW), modular bridge and advanced chaff variants to the armed forces at the event. The minister also said that in the last few years the DRDO has witnessed a major shift in the way it has been functioning and that the government has already taken various measures to boost self-reliance in the defence sector
