Jodhpur, Oct 3 (UNI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday expressed confidence that India will soon be counted among superpowers.
"Protecting the nation is our top most priority, and we are fully committed to ensuring that. I can say with full confidence that in the coming times, whenever there is a talk of superpowers including military powers in the world, India will be counted first," he said.
Rajnath Singh was speaking during induction ceremony of the first batch of Made In India Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), named Prachand, into the Indian Air Force here.
"It is always our endeavour to equip our armed forces with best equipment and platforms to maintain national security. Whatever be the geopolitical scenario in the world, it is our important responsibility to always keep national security (apparatus) active," Singh added.
"For the induction of LCH, there could hardly be any better time than Navaratri, the festival of worship of Adishakti Mahadurga, and there could hardly be any more suitable place than the soil of Rajasthan," he said.
Elaborating on the capabilities of the LCH, the Minister said that the Ukraine conflict has taught that heavy weapon systems and platforms that are unable to move at a fast pace in the battlefield sometimes become easy targets for enemies.
"LCH is capable of dodging the enemies. It can carry a variety of ammunition and quickly deliver them to the place. The LCH fully meets the needs of our armed forces in different terrains. It is an ideal platform both for our Army and Airforce."
The Minister said the need for the Light Combat Helicopter was felt during the Kargil war in 1999.
"Since then, the LCH is the outcome of the country's research and development for two decades. Its induction into IAF is an important milestone in our defence production," he said.
"The induction of the LCH with tremendous power, tremendous speed and tremendous strike capability is a big step towards increasing the capabilities of our Air Force as well as self-reliance in the defence production sector."
The LCH has been developed by aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd primarily designed for deployment in high altitude regions.
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