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Aerospace & defence: India has potential to turn net exporter in a year, says Ansys’ Rafiq Somani

Rafiq Somani spoke to DH about the market India presents in aerospace and defence (A&D) and how invested the country is in research and development
Last Updated 29 December 2022, 23:55 IST

The recent evolving geopolitical tensions, some closer home, has created a boom in India’s defence sector, which was opened up to private investment in 2001. According to government data, today there are about 194 defence start-ups working on innovative technologies. The Pennsylvania-based multinational, Ansys Inc, offering engineering simulation software for product design, testing and operation, has been working both with the government and the private players and the company’s Area Vice President, India and South Asia Pacific, Rafiq Somani spoke to DH’s Lavpreet Kaur about the market India presents in aerospace and defence (A&D) and how invested the country is in research and development.

Electronic simulation has been around since the WW-2 era. So, what has changed in the electronic simulation world?

Today, given the complexity of the product and enhanced electrification, the use of embedded software is coming in and a lot of multi-physics along with system level simulation is used for EMI (electromagnetic interference) EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) issues, circuit failures, power problems.

Secondly, sustainability has become more important, with focus on making products reliable, cheaper and with less carbon footprint.

The third thing that has changed is that instead of doing physical tests, now government agencies do a digital validation, saving a lot of time, resources, and carbon footprint. We have come to that stage where the fidelity of the simulation data is so accurate to the real world that people don't expect prototypes or physical testing, digital testing is kind of getting approved.

In terms of R&D where do we stand as a country, specifically in A&D sector?

We are one of the poorest R&D spenders. India spends 0.7%, not even 1% of its GDP in R&D, as compared to South Korea’s and the US’ spend ratio of 4.5% and 3%, respectively.

On the design and development side, our Indian engineers and scientists are at par with any of the world-class scientists and so are our defence labs. Having said that, though we can make prototypes, when we talk about mass producing and exporting, we need the infrastructure, which we lack.

Does the emergence of startups help with bridging the manufacturing gap?

No, I don't think so. Startups may be very good at establishing a few new concepts and creating some disruptive / innovative products. But, when we want to mass scale that product and export, it becomes a challenge. To set up a fabricating center, it requires billions of dollars and the rate of obsolescence is so high that it is too expensive for a private player, unless the government chips in.

What are the areas in which most startups are emerging and where do you think startups need to emerge more now?

Many startups are emerging in drones because the product is not so complex in terms of the manufacturing, and some startups have been able to get revenues of $40-50 million. There's a very interesting startup incubated by IIT Madras called e-plane where they have made a prototype of a two-seater airplane, an air taxi, which can take a vertical takeoff from terraces of the buildings. It awaits some government clearance.

How Ansys is specifically helping startups in the space?

Nobody is more under pressure than a startup because a smart student or a smart engineer, or a startup company, who has put his/her money or taken a loan, wants to make sure that the product he is making is right. So, he becomes an ideal candidate to do all the testing and validation virtually, and he cannot afford making prototypes.

What is your outlook for the aerospace and defence industries?

It's a journey. And I think we are on the journey. With more focus on boosting manufacturing in the country, it's a matter of a year before we will become a net exporter, in aerospace and defence.

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(Published 29 December 2022, 16:50 IST)

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