Foray to South Korea signals arms export ambitions of India

For six decades, slow progress in developing indigenous defence equipment and a Nehruvian squeamishness about exporting arms have together made India’s presence in the international arms only that of a buyer — last year the world’s biggest.

That has begun to change. A large Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO) team is heading to Seoul, in South Korea, where it will be one of the biggest exhibitors at the Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (ADEX-2013) later this month.

The DRDO will display a variety of indigenous defence systems at Seoul, including the Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM), the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the Pragati surface-to-surface missile (SSM), an airborne early warning system (AEWS) and several other high-technology systems like sonar, battlefield radars, and identification-friend-or-foe (IFF) systems.

Read more