Homegrown Game Changers

POSTS ON X by various Indian defence compa­nies, many of them public sector units (PSUs) and many others in the private sector (see chart), were quick to advertise what they called feats in Opera­tion Sindoor, the four-day offensive launched by India on May 7 against Pakistan. India targeted camps of terror outfits that routinely launch strikes on Indian soil, and then neutralised and destroyed Pakistani military sites after Islamabad struck back at Indian cities and other sensitive spots with their missiles and drones, most of which were intercepted, according to officials.

Even relatively media-shy PSUs such as Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) lost no time in showcasing the military prowess of their products, many of them developed indigenously in associa­tion with other state-run defence companies.

For instance, on May 14, BEL posted on X that it was “proud to announce that our in-house designed & manufactured Air Defence System, Akashteer, has proved its mettle in the war-field. Ground-based Defence Systems integrated with Akashteer made it hell for Pakistan’s air adventures.”

Developed jointly by Defence Research Development Or­ganisation (DRDO), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and BEL, Akashteer is feted by defence pundits and the media as the world’s first operational AI war-cloud built entirely without foreign components or satellite depen­dencies. The Hindu newspaper quoted a DRDO scientist as saying, “It’s not a weapon—it’s an ecosystem.” Officials, meanwhile, stated that India has made great advances by integrating its PSU defence entities to make the most of efficiencies and innovations in each department in all its new defence prod­ucts, including missiles and drones. The aim is to ensure there is greater precision in attacks using homegrown technologies that suit South Asia.

Not to be left behind, SDAL, a subsid­iary of the Nagpur-based Solar Group, the conglomerate known for its expertise in explosives and defence manufa turing, successfully test-fired Bhargavastra, a homegrown counter swarm drone system at the Seaward Firing Range in Go­palpur on May 14, brandishing its new capabilities. It is after all the maker of Nagastra-1 Loitering Munitions, which performed, the company says, precision strikes on enemy positions during Operation Sindoor.

Adani Group’s Alpha Design Technologies, which collaborates with Israel’s Elbit Security Systems, also went public in a display of confidence thanks to its operational success in Operation Sindoor. Its SkyStriker loitering munitions were used to successfully strike terror camps housed in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and inflict serious damage, as featured in the satellite images made available later. Elbit Security Systems’ Harops was also flaunted as a game changer in the recent war on Pakistan.

Besides SkyStriker and Nagastra, the indigenously developed defence systems that, officials say, did spectacularly well in the mili­tary offensive against Pakistan were BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile, which was jointly developed by DRDO and NPOM of Rus­sia; Akash Missile Defence System, which was designed by DRDO and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and BEL; D4 (Drone-Detect, Deter, and Destroy) System made by DRDO and BEL, besides several other air defence systems and drones acquired from abroad through a revamped purchasing system.

Although BrahMos was first tested successfully on June 12, 2001, it was used in combat for the first time dur­ing Operation Sindoor. According to DRDO, BrahMos is a universal long-range supersonic cruise missile sys­tem. Similarly, the great success of the Akash Missile Defence System, which dexterously intercepted Pakistani aerial threats during the operation, brought tears to the eyes of its Project Director Prahlada Ramarao who ex­pressed deep pride in its performance, calling it a “milestone in indigenous missile defence.”

Other major performers from the PSU stable include Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL), co-developed by DRDO and Ordnance Factories Board. According to analysts, its mobility and rapid deployment were crucial in sustaining offensive momen­tum across multiple fronts since it can launch 12 rockets in just 44 seconds.

Having said that, Indian defence isn’t about indigenisation alone. India has woven a crown of foreign technologies into its de­fence arsenal, with the Russian-built S-400 Triumf missile system at its centre. Designated Sudarshan Chakra in Indian service, the system was brought into active operation during a coordinated assault involving drones and missiles targeting critical urban and military infrastructure along the western front. This marked the first major combat deployment of the S-400 since its induction—and a significant test of its capabilities. By intercepting more than 80 per cent of incoming threats, according to initial assessments, India did more than defend its skies; it sent a message. Over the past decade, the country has steadily expanded its strategic toolkit, acquiring Rafale fighter jets and Scorpène-class submarines from France, Heron drones from Israel, and Apache helicopters and P-8I reconnaissance aircraft from the US. Incidentally, the S-400 missile launchers got prominence during the recent Operation Sindoor after Prime Minister Modi spoke from the Adampur base, which Paki­stan claimed to have destroyed along with S-400 missile launchers.

Even so, certain pluses shouldn’t be missed about indigenisa­tion. For instance, Akashteer uses live satellite surveillance from ISRO’s earth-observation satellites, thus bypassing foreign satellites and ensuring 100 per cent data sovereignty, unlike other nations that depend on American GPS or French satellite relays. Akashteer also uses RISAT precision navigation and targeting using India’s own NAVIC GPS constellation, which enhances terrain-adaptive decision-making capabilities. All this also means indigenisation has spawned a market for Indian defence players abroad as attraction for its war-tested products keeps spiking.

As of now, more than 100 Indian firms are exporting defence products from India, according to official statistics. Major buy­ers include Italy, the Maldives, Russia, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Egypt, Israel, Spain, Chile, and others. As they say, the proof of the pud­ding lies in the eating: defence exports have seen a significant growth, rising from ₹686 crore in 2013–14 to ₹21,083 crore in 2023–24. And the Centre expects defence exports to reach ₹50,000 crore and annual defence production to hit ₹3 lakh crore by the 2028–29 financial year. Defence production already crossed the ₹1 lakh crore mark in 2023–24.

As luck would have it, the defence budget is also rising. The defence budget for 2024–25 is ₹6.21 lakh crore, a 4.3 per cent increase from ₹5.94 lakh crore in the previous fiscal.

As of now, India’s defence-industrial base includes more than 16 defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs), over 430 licensed pri­vate companies, and around 16,000 micro, small and medium enter­prises (MSMEs). Interestingly, the private sector now contributes 21 per cent to overall defence production. Among PSUs, major players in the Indian defence sector include: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Bharat Electronics Ltd, BEL Optronic Devices Ltd, Bharat Dynamics Ltd, BEML Ltd, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd, Mazagon Dock Shipbuild­ers Ltd, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd, Goa Shipyard Ltd, Hindustan Shipyard Ltd, Gliders India Ltd, Troop Comforts Ltd, Armoured Vehicles Nigam Ltd, Munitions India Ltd, Yantra India Ltd, Cochin Shipyard, India Optel Ltd. Private ones include the Adani Group, Reliance Ltd, Bharat Forge, Mahindra, Tata Group, L&T India, and Punj Lloyd, among others.

INDIA’S DEFENCE EXPORTS now span a broad spectrum, ranging from arms, ammunition, and fuses to complete weapon systems. Indian firms are exporting advanced platforms such as the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, artillery guns, Dornier-228 aircraft, radars, Akash air defence missiles, Pinaka rocket systems, and various armoured vehicles.

According to several reports quoting defence officials, exports to the US primarily consist of subsystems and components—fuselage sections, wings, and other aircraft and helicopter parts—supplied to major global defence companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Notably, the Tata-Boeing Aerospace joint venture in Hyderabad is producing the fuselage and secondary structures for Apache at­tack helicopters. Another report says that in 2022, Armenia became the first international customer for the indigenously developed Akash-1s air defence system, placing a $720 million order for 15 units from Bharat Dynamics Limited. While Armenia is the first buyer, other nations, including Brazil, have expressed strong interest in co-producing and co-developing more advanced variants. Accord­ing to the Times of India, Brazil is seeking an inter-governmental agreement to formalise collaboration on the Akash platform, with negotiations currently underway.

India’s defence exports also received a major boost in 2022 when it signed a $375 million deal with the Philippines for three BrahMos anti-ship coastal missile batteries. Since then, several ASEAN member states, as well as countries in the Gulf region, have shown growing interest in acquiring the Indo-Russian co-developed missile systems.

All these heights India reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, to borrow from HW Longfellow. A lot of hard work was put into it from the days of former Defence Minister AK Antony who said India was short of funds to purchase any new aircraft, cit­ing that money was a hurdle for modernisation of the armed forces, even in the face of threats from hostile neighbours.

Retired Major General AK Channan, who was closely associ­ated with the Make-in-India defence initiative since 2014, points out that the changes happened quickly when the idea of procure­ment changed to acquisition. He is referring to the Defence Procure­ment Procedure (DPP) of 2002 (which envisaged reduced delays of procurement in line with the needs of the armed forces) that gave way to the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) of 2020 (which was meant to simplify targeted acquisitions) and the reliance on Make-in-India followed by atmanirbhar (self-reliant) initiatives by banning imports of certain defence components to catalyse Indian defence production and technology. Earlier, the armed forces ac­quired anything available for purchase as it diversified its portfolio by approaching newer countries to reduce dependence on any one country or a few of them. Channan notes that a paradigm shift took place after DAP was implemented and later when the government started giving incentives to local players to design and manufacture defence products. By restricting imports, companies felt the need to forge ahead with their plans.

True, India still remains the world’s largest arms importer, accounting for 9.8 per cent of total global imports in the 2019-23 period. But growing demand for Indian defence products from countries abroad and the good show by listed companies in the stock markets are confirmation that the rules of engagement are quickly changing, and that the country is on the fast track to greater indigenisation and growth.

2025 India-Pakistan wardronesIndian armed forcesIndian defencelaunchersOperation SindoorPahalgam