The ministry will have little defence for the fiasco that the show is heading towards, with exaggerated numbers and important tenders set in the midst of it.
Despite growing passenger volume, 11 out of 14 carriers reported losses in 2023-24. IndiGo recorded profit of Rs 8,167 crore, which reduced to Rs 7.253 crore in 2024-25.
Dubai airshow crash & pilot death have rekindled concerns over pilot safety, and need for smarter automated systems that can step in when G-forces, temporary loss of consciousness hit the pilot.
None of Pakistan’s PMs has lasted 5 years. That the current PM has given Asim Munir 5 years shows that of all military dictatorships history has seen, Pakistan’s is most creative.
Its a circus. We have had 3 different defense ministers in the past 4 years, and DefExpo has been held wherever the incumbent fancies it be held (i e in his / her home state – it would seem that these worthies cannot rise above their narrow parochial affiliations). The state of the DefExpo mirrors the state of the Ministry of Defense and that of our national defense itself i.e. a rudderless tamasha (spectacle). On the one hand we have been pursuing a high profile, increasingly strident foreign policy, even as geopolitical alliances shift – such as the emerging compact between Russia, China and Pakistan; even as the security situation in our neighborhood becomes more fluid, what with Doklam, Maldives and the continuing unrest in Kashmir; but on the other hand we show criminal neglect of our defense preparedness. Force levels continue to deplete (E.g. the IAF squadron strength). Procurement is worse than a bad joke (witness the 3 successive initiatives that were launched and have failed in the realm of combat aircraft alone i.e. the FGFA, MMRCA, single-engine fighter procurement).
We are good at organising Tamashas!Wonder what will happen if some future RM hails from Arunachal!!
Its a circus. We have had 3 different defense ministers in the past 4 years, and DefExpo has been held wherever the incumbent fancies it be held (i e in his / her home state – it would seem that these worthies cannot rise above their narrow parochial affiliations). The state of the DefExpo mirrors the state of the Ministry of Defense and that of our national defense itself i.e. a rudderless tamasha (spectacle). On the one hand we have been pursuing a high profile, increasingly strident foreign policy, even as geopolitical alliances shift – such as the emerging compact between Russia, China and Pakistan; even as the security situation in our neighborhood becomes more fluid, what with Doklam, Maldives and the continuing unrest in Kashmir; but on the other hand we show criminal neglect of our defense preparedness. Force levels continue to deplete (E.g. the IAF squadron strength). Procurement is worse than a bad joke (witness the 3 successive initiatives that were launched and have failed in the realm of combat aircraft alone i.e. the FGFA, MMRCA, single-engine fighter procurement).