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Self-reliance from Bharat’s perspective of socio-economic development perspective is when one depends heavily on domestic resources, desi talent, home grown technologies, innovations and human mind. From aerospace engineering, defence production to information technology, self-reliance is not a bad word or approach in spirit, content or processes. Only the other day, state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited based out of Bengaluru signed up with United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) to manufacture end to end SJ-100 series of passenger aircraft. What hit the headlines was Bharat’s engagement with UAC which was under sanctions of United States, United Kingdom and top European countries. Most editors picked up the story as the deal between HAL and UAC was clinched at a time when US President Donald J Trump heightened his demand to shun Russia and its entities all together. His demand was plain and simple: get rid of Russian companies, products, services and severe links with Moscow. President Trump or his European counterparts’ logic to sanction Russia unilaterally was latter’s two years old conflict with Ukraine. Most developed Western countries were fine dealing with Russia in billions of dollars trade, investment in goods and services. In this backdrop, despatches from New Delhi and Moscow talked about how UAC was central to military establishment of Russian President Vladimir Putin as the company also produces Sukhoi 30 MK-I series fighter aircraft etc. A puritan ‘Swadeshi’ protagonist would look at the issue differently. Production of a Russian passenger aircraft from the scratch to end in Bharat is not such a big deal after all. Optimum utilisation of HAL infrastructure, Bharat’s engineers getting trained and experience to build a regional aircraft with 100 plus seats and over 3000 kilometres range is a positive. Given that there’s demand for 200 such medium sized aircraft in domestic market by 2030 and another 350 aircraft for South and South East Asian connectivity, the deal is a right move. After Avro HS-748 and MIG series, no aircraft was built here either independently or under licence. And, hence building SJ-100 may be important. ‘Swadeshi’ hawks celebration may have to hold on. The day our engineers built jet engine with home grown technologies for both fighter and passenger aircraft, it’s the big day for us to celebrate, dance around and make merry. Celebrating deepawali yet again may still be not enough when we have our own engine to power home-built aircraft. One is reminded of Russia buckling under international (read United States) pressure and denying transfer of cryogenic engines technology notwithstanding firm commitments made in a deal on January 18, 1991. The agreement between Glavcosmos and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was eventually revised in 1994 in accordance with whims and fancies of US that feared going out of business in case Bharat got access to cryogenic knowhow. Eventually, Bharat’s scientists developed the technology to handle liquid fuels to power her space programmes as well as missile projects. That’s when the entire nation broke into celebration. It’s not that Russia would back off in dealing with Bharat either on oil or passenger aircraft given the present geo-political and economic dynamics. In fact, the move to set up a joint venture with French major Safran to develop an advanced engine for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft is a bigger and more firm step towards achieving self-sufficiency in engines technology. Home grown or developed aircraft engine should be the priority. Bharat’s fighter aircraft in Tejas series is incomplete without the desi-engine while we are on the cloud that over 60 per cent indigenisation has gone into the aircraft that’s impressive and competitive globally. Celebrations on Tejas should hit the stratosphere the day Bharat’s engineers fit the aircraft with state of the art Cauveri engine replacing General Electric’s F404-IN20s. Working with multiple partners in Russia’s UAC, Brazil’s Embraer, China’s COMAC or engaging with Airbus and Boeing need not be shunned. The multiple partnerships will have to be dovetailed to weather over transition to full ‘Swadeshi’ technologies in aerospace engineering. ISRO has shown that persistence would pay off rich dividends as was the case with cryogenic engine technologies. Former CEO of Zoho Sridhar Vembu has demonstrated that with desi knowhow, Arattai can potentially pose a challenge to Whatsapp and its ecosystem. There are scores of such stories that truly define ‘Swadeshi’. Let’s take puritan recourse to ‘Swadeshi. The author is Director and Chief Executive of New Delhi based non-partisan think tank, Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
