PM Modi on Friday, on the eve of Independence Day announced the launch of Mission ‘Sudarshan Chakra’.
It will be an advanced multi-tiered air defence system. It will protect the country’s all-important military and civilian assets. This system will provide protection at a nationwide scale, and it will build up the country’s deterrent and offensive capabilities.
During delivering of his address from the Ramparts of Red forts on 15 August, PM Modi presented analogy between India’s initiative and Lord Krishna’s Sudarshan chakra recalling how it was deployed during the Mahabharat to block the Sun’s rays and create darkness in the morning, enabling Arjun to fulfil his vow of killing Jayadratha.
“In the next 10 years, by 2035, I want to expand, strengthen and modernise this national security shield,” he said. He added that the country will launch the Sudarshan Chakra mission. “Taking inspiration from Shri Krishna, we have chosen the path of his Sudarshan Chakra,” he said.
Mission “Sudarshan Chakra”
PM Modi didn’t reveal many details about the air defence system. However, the initiative is a multi-layered, networked system. It aims at protecting India and its vital installations from a range of enemy attacks across domains.
The shield is expected to offer multiple layers of protection. It combines surveillance, cybersecurity, and air defence systems. These systems detect and destroy threats such as long-range missiles, aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles. They are deployed along the borders and at critical installations. Defence research organisations and the private sector are expected to collaborate on the project.
Modi’s Call to Indian Youth
During his address on 15 August, Modi made a dramatic call to the Nation’s Youth. He urged them to take this as a direct challenge. They should produce, innovate, and manufacture what nations need at home, i.e., in a domestic sphere, and make India atmanirbhar.
He emphasised how during Covid-19, India manufactured vaccines at home and helped the world. India created UPI to provide full grown digital access to billions of Indians. He suggested that India should also make Jet engines for fighter aircrafts so the entire defence technology is home grown.
Also read: India Moves Toward Sixth-Generation Fighter Jets Under AMCA Program
Need for Indigenous Fighter Jet Engines
“Should we not have our jet engines for our Made-in-India fighter jets? We made vaccines during Covid. We also developed UPI for digital payments. Similarly, we should build our own jet engines too. Our scientists and youth must take it up as a direct challenge,” he said.
India has made its own indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. However, efforts to make aero engines indigenously have so far not been successful. The Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation initially focused on the GTX-37 engine. They were developing it for the LCA. This was followed by the ambitious Kaveri engine project, sanctioned in 1989.
Nine full prototype engines and four core engines were developed. A total of 3,217 hours of engine testing was carried out. This included altitude tests and Flying Test Bed (FTB) trials. However, the engines were not found suitable for fighter aircraft. A major shortcoming was recorded in the wet thrust of the engine, which generated only 70.4 kN as against the targeted 81 kN.
India is currently in discussions with global firms. The goal is to jointly develop engines that could power its advanced fighter jets in the coming years. State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is negotiating with GE Aerospace. They aim to jointly produce the F414 engines for the LCA Mk-2 programme. It has already been agreed that the deal, first announced in 2023, would include an 80 per cent transfer of technology from the US-based company
Recent Pakistan threats post Operation Sindoor
Pakistan recently threatened India regarding the Indus Waters Treaty. It remarked that if India builds any dam projects on Indus waters, it claims these solely belong to Pakistan. Pakistan will use its nuclear power.
PM Modi said India no longer accepts nuclear blackmail or threats on foreign terms. He warned that enemies would get a “befitting reply” in the future. Indigenous capabilities, including Made-in-India weapons, he said, enable the country to act decisively and independently.
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