The aerospace industry must grow from system manufacturing to design and marketing and growth in the sector cannot be constricted to collaboration in manufacturing, a top Defence scientist said in Bangalore on Tuesday.

Growth in aerospace cannot be limited to collaboration in manufacturing and has to be in all aspects - design, product and development, V K Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, said.

Reflecting on the aerospace scenario in India, Mr. Saraswat, who is also the Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation, said there are aerospace programmes worth Rs 80,000 to Rs 90,000 crore in the country in which we have collaborations with well-known names in the industry.

We have to translate this support into capability for designing. For example, the capability to build our own transport aircraft, capability from concept to product is what is needed, he said at the second edition of the Aerospace Defence Awards 2013.

Mr. Saraswat appealed to the industries to promote design, manufacture and infrastructure for development of aerospace.

For this collaborations are needed including partnership with government agencies like DRDO, he said.

He said increased focus on defence programmes had resulted in uneven growth in the civilian sector.

We must ensure that Regional Transport Aircraft becomes a part of industry initiative instead of a government initiative. We must look at ourselves as a and development house rather than a manufacturing house, Mr. Saraswat said.

He later presented awards instituted by SAP Media Worldwide Limited in 13 categories, including those for individual achievements.

Awards for Excellence in Innovation and for outstanding contribution in the defence industry were given to the shipping firm, Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).

Originally posted here:

Aerospace industry must grow from manufacturing to design: Saraswat