On January 7, 2026, at the Military Power Systems 2026 seminar for Defence and Aerospace in New Delhi, Air Marshal Sanjiv Ghuratia, AVSM, VSM, newly appointed Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance of the Indian Air Force distilled a critical truth for India's security trajectory: "We need more systems and our own manufacturing capabilities... in this world, we have to compete with what is happening around us... to be technologically superior and contemporary, we need to have our own systems."
At first glance, this appears as a straightforward call for Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence production but it is more: it is an overarching strategic axiom that unites geopolitics, operational readiness, economic security, technological autonomy, and future warfare. In an era defined by rapid technological change and intensifying great-power competition, the ability to innovate, produce, integrate, and sustain one's own defence systems is tantamount to sovereign survival.
The Strategic Context: Why Self-Reliance Matters Now
Across Asia and beyond, defence capabilities are no longer determined solely by manpower or legacy platforms; they are shaped by technological ecosystems from energy management and power systems to microelectronics, AI, sensors, and networked weapon systems. Ghuratia underscored that any weapon system must be "powered by our system" reflecting that foundational technologies (power generation, energy storage, propulsion, materials, software, and integration) are as strategic as the platforms they enable.
In geopolitical terms, India sits at the intersection of multiple frontiers where asymmetric and conventional threats converge. Neighbouring states are rapidly modernising, investing in unmanned systems, hypersonic delivery, and cyber-electromagnetic operations, while global powers are elevating military AI, quantum sensing, and autonomous systems. In such an environment where supply chain manipulation, embargoes, and sanctions can be weaponised external dependencies are liabilities.
Indigenisation is not a policy luxury; it is strategic autonomy the capacity to act decisively without constraint from external suppliers during crisis. This has long been acknowledged in defence circles: reducing reliance on foreign arms enhances readiness, deterrence, and crisis responsiveness by insulating decision-makers from geopolitical supply shocks and political coercion.
India's Progress: From Import-Dependency to Indigenous Ecosystem
India's defence industrial evolution over the last decade maps a significant transformation:
Domestic defence production grew from approximately ₹46,429 crore in 2014–15 to over ₹1.5 lakh crore by 2025, reflecting sustained investment and policy thrust.
Exports of indigenous defence equipment reached record highs, crossing ₹23,622 crore in 2024–25 and reaching customers across 100+ countries, a thirty-fold increase over the last decade.
Indigenous platforms such as the HAL Tejas Mk-1A, Akash missile system, and various unmanned aerial systems are now central to force modernisation and export portfolios.
These figures affirm that India has moved well beyond being a mere importer of defence hardware toward becoming a competitive, self-sustaining defence industrial base.
Yet this progress is not just quantitative, it is structural. Investments in materials (like the new titanium and super-alloy plant in Lucknow), semiconductor sanctity, propulsion systems, and energetic materials (explored in Air Marshal Ghuratia's remarks) signal India's aspiration to own critical, non-substitutable technologies. This focus on high-end sub-systems not just final assembly is crucial to closing the strategic technology gap with peer competitors.
Operational Relevance: From Power Systems to CUAS and Air Defence Grids
Ghuratia's emphasis on modern power systems including energy management, hybrid propulsion, and integrated energy architectures ties directly into how future platforms will be powered, sustained, and networked. The contemporary battlefield increasingly depends on platforms that operate longer, adapt faster, and integrate seamlessly into multi-domain networks.
This technological imperative has clear expression in India's Counter Unmanned Aerial System (CUAS) grid initiative a joint service effort to integrate disparate counter-drone capabilities into a unified network, relieving conventional air defence systems like IAF's Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) from being overburdened and enabling real-time tracking and neutralisation of low-altitude aerial threats.
This networked, dedicated approach to anti-UAS defence is an anticipatory adaptation to modern threats. During Operation Sindoor, adversaries leveraged Turkey- and China-origin drones, prompting India's armed forces to recognise that future conflicts will unfold in multiple layers from swarms of unmanned vehicles to autonomous systems and cyber-electromagnetic engagements.
Mission Sudarshan Chakra: A National Shield for the Future
India's indigenous defence ambitions are crystallised in the visionary Mission Sudarshan Chakra an initiative aiming to establish a multi-layered, self-reliant aerial defence shield by 2035. This programme lays out ambitious plans for layered defence against drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic threats through integrated radar networks, AI-enabled C2 systems, laser weapons, and long-range interceptors.
Such systems are not simple upgrades; they are architectural transformations of how air defence is conceptualised from siloed platforms to networked, resilient, AI-assisted defence ecosystems.
International analysis suggests that Sudarshan Chakra's architecture will be multi-layered and hybrid, combining indigenous sensors, interceptors, directed energy weapons, and comprehensive C2 systems. Critically, this autonomy extends beyond missiles and radars into software, data fusion, and AI-informed decision loops elements where strategic advantage is derived long before ordinance hits a target.
Private Sector and Innovation: The Whole-of-Nation Approach
Realising this strategic vision requires more than government labs and Defence PSUs, it necessitates a vibrant private sector capable of world-class R&D and manufacturing. India's defence industrial ecosystem now includes over 16,000 MSMEs and 430 licensed companies, but the challenge is to scale this base into global-class innovators with repeatable, exportable technologies.
Recent policy shifts such as permitting private sector production of missiles and ammunition, easing regulatory hurdles, and inviting foreign technology partnerships with conditions for technology transfer signal an evolving approach that balances security imperatives with competitive innovation.
Yet, the ecosystem faces structural hurdles: legacy DPSUs still dominate key platform production, and the private sector's role in high-end combat systems remains nascent. Overcoming this requires institutional reforms, sustained capital flows, and education-industry pipelines linking universities with defence R&D.
A Strategic Narrative for Leadership, Policy, and Public Debate
Air Marshal Ghuratia's call is not just for systems, it is for a strategic narrative that aligns military modernisation with industrial transformation. This narrative must be shared by national leadership, military planners, industry executives, and civil society to ensure that self-reliance in defence is understood not as protectionism, but as a lever of sovereign capability and geopolitical influence.
As global defence ecosystems recalibrate, nations with secure supply chains, resilient innovation networks, and strategic autonomy will command greater influence. China's military industrial base, for example, benefits from a highly integrated government-industry model that prioritises rapid iteration and scalable production. For India, similar outcomes must be pursued through public-private synergies, deep technology investments, and clear policy frameworks that reward indigenous innovation without compromising operational standards.
Beyond Atmanirbhar - Towards Strategic Autonomy
India stands at a historic inflection point. The transformation from import dependency to indigenous capability is real, measurable, and accelerating. Yet, as Ghuratia highlighted, the journey to technological superiority and contemporary relevance is not complete. It demands purposeful strategy, sustained investment, and seamless integration across the defence ecosystem.
Self-reliance is no longer an aspirational slogan, it is a strategic imperative that underpins operational readiness, geopolitical leverage, economic opportunity, and national identity. To compete in tomorrow's battlespaces, India must deepen its technological sovereignty, scale its manufacturing prowess, and craft defence systems that embody innovation, integration, and strategic foresight.
In the words of Air Marshal Ghuratia: "We know our aim, but this seminar will discuss how we will reach there...". The answer lies not just in defence factories, but in a nation united in innovation, capability, and strategic resolve.
[Major General Dr. Dilawar Singh, IAV, is a distinguished strategist having held senior positions in technology, defence, and corporate governance. He serves on global boards and advises on leadership, emerging technologies, and strategic affairs, with a focus on aligning India's interests in the evolving global technological order.]
