The step will boost the defence co-operation between the two countries
To further boost defence co-operation, India and Japan have identified projects in areas of UAVs, anti-drone systems, robotics, underwater communication, Li-ion battery technology and intelligence systems, Anurag Bajpai, Joint Secretary (Defence Industries Production) in defence ministry said on Tuesday.
The defence co-operation assumes significance, given that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are travelling to Tokyo to participate in the 2 + 2 dialogue between India-Japan on September 8, being organised at a time when China has upped the ante on Taiwan casting significant strategic repercussions on both the friendly countries.
At the maiden virtual India-Japan defence industry dialogue, Bajpai stated the defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and M/s Toshiba Corporation of Japan are in discussion for Li-Ion battery technology. Similarly, "BEL has submitted proposal to M/s Jupitor Corporation, Japan, for supply of Anti Drone System for the end requirement of Japanese MoD," the joint secretary is said to have told the audience. The dialogue was organised primarily by Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), the apex body of Indian defence industry, and the International Security Industrial Council — Japan.
Sharing other precise details of the co-operation, Bajpai, as per the SIDM, also stated Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), the research and development arm of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, and Defence Research and Development Organisation of the Indian defence ministry have collaborated in fields like UGV/robotics project, silicon carbide (SiC) single crystal bulk growth, wafer fabrication process technology, underwater communication, underwater wireless power transmission, fabrication facility for development of case less brushless micro motors, nano uncooled thermal camera for nano UAVs, co-operative and distributive intelligence technologies etc.
The Defence Ministry Officer also talked about a wide range of high-tech defence systems for air, land, sea and space applications that would interest the Japanese industries.
Indian ambassador to Japan, Sanjay Kumar Verma, joined the dialogue to invite Tokyo to take up the initiatives available due to Aatmanirbhar Bharat scheme and two defence corridors in UP and Tamil Nadu. Referring to Joint Working Group on Defence Equipment and Technology Co-operation (JWGDETC), Verma suggested the two industry bodies to expedite the progress on mutually identified dual use items and technologies. "Around 23 Indian companies had expressed interest in dual use items and the process of interaction between Indian and Japanese companies has started. However, the progress of interaction has been very slow and there is a need to facilitate companies for regular and frequent interactions, especially at the initial stages," the ambassador commented on the outcome of fifth JWGDETC.
Ambassador of Japan to India Satoshi Suzuki shared his country's interest in participating in the self-reliance initiative through co-development, co-design and co-manufacture including manufacturing under Make in India, said SIDM sources who participated in the event.
Interestingly, Suzuki said Japan, currently developing a successor to the F-2 aircraft that will be retired in the mid-2030s, can assist in India's attempt to develop an indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter and future generation naval vessels and submarines.
Neeraj Gupta, Chairman of SIDM International and Exports Committee, said the two regional powers, with similar goals and values, can also pool resources to develop technologies of the future such as on artificial intelligence, 3D printing, Internet of Things, among others.