IAF Chief Says More Than 60,000 Components Have Been Indigenized Recently

Significant indigenization efforts and the finding of a missing aircraft's wreckage in the Bay of Bengal are announced by IAF Chief VR Chaudhari.Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari has revealed a substantial leap in the Indian Air Force's (IAF) self-reliance drive, with the indigenisation of more than 60,000 components in the last two to three years. Addressing the media at Bhonsala Military School in Nagpur, he stressed the shift towards in-house maintenance, reducing dependent on foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

The Indian Air Force is striving to become more self-sufficient in fleet maintenance and more efficient in its operations. "We have opened our Base Repair Depots (BRDs) to industry collaboration, allowing them to participate in the activities across all Air Force units," said the head of the IAF."We appreciate that the Ministry of Ocean and Earth Sciences made this possible and allowed us to find this wreckage. It ends a long-pending, tragic accident." The defense ministry reports that about seven and a half years after the jet with 29 people on board vanished, the debris of an IAF transport aircraft has been found at a depth of about 3.4 kilometers in the Bay of Bengal.

"All our BRDs have been opened up to all the industries to come and take a look as to where industries can pitch in into the work that has been done, not only in BRDs but all the Air Force units," the IAF head stated in response to a question regarding the indigenization of Base Repair Depots (BRDs).Over 60,000 components have been locally produced in the past two to three years. We have come to the realization that we cannot depend on overseas OEMs to perform overhaul and repair work. We must complete it internally," he continued.