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INTERVIEW
GEORGE FERNANDES
"Now our forces will be formidable"
Soon
after the contracts with the Russians were inked, Defence Minister George
Fernandes spoke to Deputy Editor Raj
Chengappa about the rationale behind the massive purchases.
Excerpts:
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| Klebanov
and Fernandes after signing the Rs 13,800-crore pact |
Q. What
will be the impact of these purchases on the armed forces?
A.
All three services are now being equipped with platforms which will give
us tremendous additional strength. The weakness that had developed as
a result of inadequate budgeting over the past six to seven years have
been finally got rid of. We will now have a formidable force.
Q. Was
it wise to put most of our eggs in the Russian basket especially since
we had trouble with delivery of vital spares in the mid-1990s?
A.
These are decisions rooted in some of the proposals mooted earlier. Gorshkov
has been under consideration since 1994. The Su-30 was actually paid for
in 1996 and is still in service. It is a terrific aircraft which sends
shivers all over the place. As far as the T-90s are concerned, given the
fact that all our tanks have always been the T-series, we are in the same
lane as we have been going over the past many decades. Both in terms of
using it in our workshops and maintenance, it will be far more effective
apart from providing tremendous fire power to the armoured forces. Also
it is not as if we have only a single basket. We are also buying advanced
jet trainers from Britain. We have signed an agreement with France for
the supply of 10 Mirages. So it is not as if we are stuck with the Russians.
Q. But
why purchase them all in one go like this?
A.
We are desperately in need of these things. For instance, we need an aircraft
carrier. Our aircraft carrier is going for a refit. Refitting and equipping
it is going to take a long time. And it will take another eight years
to build our own aircraft carrier. Viraat is also to be phased out in
the next 10 years. India cannot be without aircraft carriers. Therefore,
Gorshkov is important for us. Then we needed the tanks as Pakistan has
acquired the
T-80s. With
our T-72s we can take on the T-80s but they are not superior. We have
now acquired a tank that is far superior to the T-80s.
Q. What
about indigenous production like the Arjun tanks?
A.
Arjun's production will give us 124 tanks in the next seven years while
our needs run into four figures. So one has to look at the immediate needs
of national defence and what we are capable of indigenously producing
and the time factor involved in the process. The deprivation of a decade
or so have to be met.
Q. Critics
say much of the equipment from Russia is unreliable and not top of the
line?
A.
Russian
equipment is absolutely superb. There are no two views that from aircraft
to tanks to any other military hardware. Their equipment is solid. Also
Russia has stood by India and has been an ally all these 53 years. Putin
was not indulging in rhetoric when he said Russia was India's greatest
friend.
Full text of interview with George
Fernandes and Air
Chief Marshal A.Y. Tipnis.
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