Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has called for quality to be built into every stage of defence manufacturing, saying the sector must move from detecting defects to preventing them. He made the remarks while addressing the 36th Annual Conference on Non-Destructive Evaluation and Enabling Technologies and the 15th International Symposium on Non-Destructive Testing in Aerospace virtually on Sunday, November 15.
Singh said India had made substantial progress in developing an indigenous defence ecosystem. He pointed to advances in missile development, naval platforms, aerospace engineering, radar systems and space applications as evidence of the expanding capabilities of Indian scientists, engineers, production agencies and industry partners.
He described the commissioning of INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier designed and constructed in the country, as a significant milestone. Progress in indigenous missile technology and space systems, he added, further demonstrated the country’s scientific and industrial strength.
At the same time, Singh said these achievements had increased the responsibility to ensure that defence equipment remained reliable and met the highest quality standards. Every critical material, component, assembly and manufacturing process, he said, must undergo rigorous quality assurance as defence systems become more sophisticated.
The Defence Minister warned that defects which remain undetected can reduce the operational availability of equipment, raise maintenance needs and shorten its service life. In critical circumstances, he said, such failures could even affect the success of a mission.
Singh urged the industry and other stakeholders to establish a culture in which quality checks are incorporated throughout production rather than being limited to the identification of faults after they occur. He said the approach was essential to ensure dependable defence systems.
Referring to the conference theme, ‘Innovation for Strategic and Economic Excellence’, Singh said it reflected India’s aim to become technologically advanced, industrially strong, strategically secure and globally competitive. A nation’s progress, he said, depended not only on the technologies it developed but also on the quality, reliability and security of the systems it created, particularly in strategic sectors such as defence.
Singh, who joined the programme virtually because he was suffering from viral fever, congratulated the leadership of the Indian Society for Non-Destructive Testing, the organising committee and everyone involved in conducting the conference.
Follow us
