Miniaturisation and electric are future of defence design: Army chief

Emphasising the need for a major design overhaul of army tanks, Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane on Saturday said “electric” and “miniaturisation” are the future of design and innovation in defence, as the forces “cannot afford to operate large platforms”.

“When you’re designing something today, you must see where it will be 50 years from now. Requirements for the modern-day battlefield are daunting and diverse. Designing a system that fits all-in-one is daunting. In designing, you must keep these aspects vital, essential and desirable in mind... For instance, a vehicle that can efficiently operate across all terrains, or say develop a technology that makes potable water available easily in inaccessible areas,” General Naravane said, addressing the inaugural function of the Ahmedabad Design Week held on the theme of Design and Innovation in Defence and Aerospace at Karnavati University in Gandhinagar.

Asserting that the future in aerospace and defence is electric, he said: “What is the future as far as design and innovation is concerned in the fields of defence and aerospace? In this, I think there are two things we have to concentrate upon. One is, the future is electric.”

“The future is also miniaturisation”, he added, while stressing on the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. “As we go ahead, more and more electricity based equipment will come up that are not dependent on fossil fuel. There’s a lot of work that can be done in the field of miniaturisation. We cannot afford to operate large platforms. The size of our ship and aircraft have to be small,” the army chief said.

He also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent statements on boosting indigenous manufacturing in the defence sector, highlighting that 85% of the purchases made by the Army is “Indian”.

“The defence corridors in Chennai and Lucknow have helped in changing the entire ecosystem of the defence industry,” he said.