Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday said technological leadership would determine strategic advantage in future warfare and called for closer collaboration between the DRDO, industry, start-ups and MSMEs to build a self-reliant defence ecosystem.
Addressing the DRDO-Industry Synergy Meet, ‘Vimarsh 2026’, at DRDO Bhawan in New Delhi, Singh said the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 was not limited to economic growth but envisaged a “technologically self-reliant, socially inclusive, environmentally sustainable, and strategically secure India”.
“The defence sector is the cornerstone of this vision,” he said.
Singh said India must achieve self-reliance in critical technologies, substantially increase indigenous content, expand defence exports and establish a stronger presence in global supply chains by 2047.
“By 2047, we have to achieve self-reliance in critical technologies, significant increase in indigenous content, multi-fold growth in defence exports, and we will have to ensure strong presence of India in global supply chain,” he said.
He said the DRDO-industry partnership should go beyond production to encompass research, design, testing, certification and the entire manufacturing value chain. MSMEs and start-ups, he added, must be made an integral part of this ecosystem.
Singh also underlined the importance of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and drones in future warfare and urged defence companies to invest in developing technologies that could shape the battlefield of the future.
“Today, we are seeing how AI can be used to render an image which seems to be of the 80s (referring to the viral ‘in the 80s’ AI-driven trend online). Joy would be when you can present an image of the future 40-50 years ahead,” he said.
“We need to not just imagine the technology of the future, but we need to develop the technology of the future, today. Because, in future warfare, only that country will be able to leverage a strategic advantage, who will lead the technology. And, our imagination of today will become tomorrow’s military capabilities,” he said.
Singh said companies investing in new and emerging technologies would emerge as technology leaders, while closer cooperation between DRDO and industry could make India a global hub for defence manufacturing.
He described recent reforms in the defence sector as “unprecedented” and said self-reliance was not merely about manufacturing military platforms, machinery and components but also about developing an “Atmanirbhar” mindset.
“The country which has its technology, has the power to build its future,” he said.
Singh also credited start-ups and MSMEs with bringing a new wave of innovation to the defence sector. He said defence start-ups were “innovative, agile and disrupting traditional defence models”.
MSMEs, he added, would have to focus on quality, timely delivery, innovation and global standards while strengthening partnerships with larger industries to help achieve the goal of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
(With inputs from PTI)
