THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ‘Operation Sindoor’ has sent a clear message to the world that India shall never be underestimated and that the country is a leading force now, according to Dr V K Saraswat, former Director General of the DRDO.The military offensive, a retaliation on terror launch pads in Pakistan and PoK in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 persons dead, also highlights the self-reliance India has built in defence technology, the former chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) told PTI Videos.Saraswat, who played a key role in the development of India’s missile and air defence systems, said that through ‘Operation Sindoor’, India has shown it is self-reliant and has the capacity and capability to counter any threat from any direction.”The precision with which we were able to reach the targets in the enemy’s territory shows the quality of our weapons. The greatest thing today is, other than the S400 that was taken from Russia, I think all the missiles LRSAM, MRSAM, Akash and all the drones, all the fighter aircraft, everything, are indigenously produced in the country– designed, developed and manufactured,” Saraswat said.The Akash, MRSAM (Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile), and LRSAM (Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile) are key components of India’s multi-layered air defence system.The NITI Aayog member recalled how the restrictions imposed on India by the international community under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) turned out to be an opportunity for the country to develop indigenous technologies and components for its weapon systems.”We have done the development of all our missile systems, whether they are air-defence systems, or strategic missiles, ballistic missile defence systems or long range ballistic missiles like Agni, Prithvi– and all of them have been developed under, what is called the MTCRs.So every step, we had to face challenges of non-availability of support from the international community,” Saraswat added.He said India was deprived of materials, components, and technologies that the country wanted to develop its missile systems.”We were not part of the MTCR, so even our own very good friends were not giving us technology,” he said.Saraswat recalled how DRDO, under the leadership of former President, the late Dr Abdul Kalam, turned this into an opportunity for indigenous technology development.
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