New Delhi: Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, Deputy Chief of the Indian Air Force, has raised a strong cautionary note on India’s defence indigenisation efforts, asserting that even 99% indigenous content is insufficient if critical components remain import-dependent. He made the remarks while addressing defence industry leaders and policymakers at Aero Tech India 2025, a key aerospace and defence event organized by FICCI in collaboration with the Centre for Air Power and Strategic Studies (CAPSS).
“If the supplies of those critical components are choked, we will not be able to ramp up production when needed,” Air Marshal Bharti warned.
Calling for absolute self-reliance in defence production, he urged manufacturers to push for 100% indigenisation within defined timelines.
“We need to put our innovation on afterburner. This cruise setting will not do,” he remarked, urging industry players to accelerate innovation and localisation.
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Future Warfare Will Reward the Fastest Innovators, Not the Largest Forces
Outlining the Indian Air Force’s strategic roadmap for future warfare, Bharti emphasized that military dominance would no longer be determined solely by numbers or firepower, but by “those who innovate faster, integrate better, and are self-reliant.”
He presented a multi-phase model of future conflict, stressing the evolving role of technology and indigenous innovation in each phase:
Pre-Kinetic Phase:
- Emphasis on persistent, survivable ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) systems in an informatised battlefield
Adoption of emerging tech:
- AI-driven real-time data engines
- Quantum-resilient communications
- Blockchain-based mission systems
- Integrated sensors across ground, air, and space platforms
Kinetic Phase:
- Projection of a full-spectrum combat environment involving everything from low-cost drones to sixth-generation fighter systems
- Collaboration between humans and autonomous combat systems
- Urgent need for weapon seeker technology — described as India’s most critical capability gap
Key Tech Focus Areas for the Indian Air Force
Air Marshal Bharti called on defence manufacturers and startups to focus R&D efforts on the following priority technology domains:
- Quantum computing for secure defence communications
- Scramjet engines for next-gen hypersonic missiles
- Core aero-engine development to eliminate dependency on foreign engines
- Directed energy weapons
- Counter-drone and anti-swarm solutions
- Integrated AWACS, advanced fighter radars, and multi-sensor UAV platforms
- Greater emphasis on sensor survivability and fusion, not just airframe production
He also encouraged defence entrepreneurs to move beyond the crowded UAV market, and instead focus on platform survivability, sensor integration, and combat resilience.
India’s Indigenisation Drive: Progress and Challenges
Air Vice Marshal Anil Golani, Director General of CAPSS, provided a snapshot of India’s indigenisation progress:
- Over 14,000 imported line items replaced via government procurement platforms
- Contracts worth ₹2.5 lakh crore redirected to domestic players through the first five positive indigenisation lists
- A sixth list is expected to be released by end of 2025, further expanding opportunities for Indian manufacturers
FICCI Calls for Strategic Collaboration
Gagan Kumar Sangal, Member of FICCI’s Defence and Homeland Security Committee, echoed the Air Marshal’s sentiments:
“Strengthening indigenous capabilities is not a choice but a strategic necessity.”
He stressed the importance of collaborative innovation between the government, industry, academia, and the armed forces to make India a global leader in aerospace and defence manufacturing.
Kishore Atluri, another committee member, highlighted India’s transformation:
“For years, our defence sector, particularly the Indian Air Force, depended on foreign platforms, spare parts, and support systems. Today, that scenario is rapidly evolving.”
The discussions at Aero Tech India 2025 underline a decisive shift in India’s defence posture — from dependence to strategic autonomy, from consumer to creator. However, as Air Marshal Bharti warned, even the highest levels of indigenisation will fall short unless critical components — especially in electronics, sensors, propulsion, and seekers — are designed, developed, and manufactured in India.
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