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India to be a superpower in less than two years: Fernandes

V C Bhaskaran in Bangalore

India is on the threshold of becoming a superpower in less than two years. Intermediate range ballistic missiles fitted with nuclear warheads and state of the art machines of warfare on land are all part of that scenario portrayed by Union Defence Minister George Fernandes at the Aero India '98.

Speaking about the United States sanctions, Fernandes said there seemed to be an effort to make sure that India never stands up.

"We will jolly well stand up," he declared.

According to him, the Pokhran blasts were not a sudden development. It could have taken place much before, but for someone shackling India. The present government was determined to break it.

To a newsman's persistent demand why India had chosen to source its military requirement solely from Russia, Fernandes pointed out that it was Russia that stood by India through the thick and thin. He recalled the US sending its seventh fleet to overawe India during the 1971 war with Pakistan. It was Russia, then the Soviet Union, that came to India's rescue against America's aggressive designs.

During the speech, the defence minister invited other countries to benefit from India's expertise in defence research and development and its cost-effective scientific and technological capabilities. The Hindustan Aeronautics, located in Bangalore, symbolised the country's rapid and sustained growth. World aircraft industry, both civil and military, could source their needs to HAL.

"We hope to fly next year the light combat aircraft designed and developed by Indian scientists and engineers. This would be the smallest lightweight multi-role combat aircraft that has been designed to meet the stringent requirements of the Indian Air Force. With it, India will have moved into the futuristic aero technology of the 21st century," he said.

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