Defense

Addressing scientists and researchers at NSTL, Singh said the new facility would allow India to design, develop and test critical naval equipment, systems and sub-systems within the country, reducing dependence on overseas testing infrastructure. He described the LCT as more than just a new installation, calling it an enabling backbone for advances in propulsion, noise reduction and stealth technologies that are central to modern naval engineering.

A useful way to think about Swayam Raksha Kavach is as part of India’s effort to reduce dependence on imported “black-box” avionics and survivability electronics. In fighter procurement, imported EW suites are often among the most tightly controlled technologies, with source code, mission data flexibility, reprogramming rights, emitter library control and future upgrade freedom all becoming strategic issues.

In February 2024, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said space acts as a force multiplier across land, sea, air and cyber, and called for building counter-space capabilities as a deterrent to safeguard Indian space assets.

The data points to a broader structural shift in India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem. Over the last five years, defence exports have increased by around three times, suggesting that India is moving beyond its traditional role as a major arms importer and is gradually consolidating its position as a credible supplier of military systems, subsystems, components and support equipment.

India’s Kaveri programme is one of the most important and misunderstood efforts in the history

Conducted by DRDO’s Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) at the National Open Air Range in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, the trial showcased a vehicle-mounted 30 kW laser weapon capable of engaging fixed-wing UAVs, swarm drones, and surveillance sensors. Official reporting described the trial as a full-spectrum demonstration of the system’s capability, including structural damage to drone targets and disabling of hostile sensors, placing India among a small group of countries that have demonstrated high-power laser directed-energy weapons.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the original capital expenditure provision of Rs 1.80 lakh crore was later enhanced by the Ministry of Finance after the pace of spending in the first half of the year and the armed forces’ rising modernisation requirements, including needs emerging after Operation Sindoor.

The Negev is now being manufactured at the Adani Group’s facility in Gwalior after the group took over PLR Systems, which had long served as IWI’s Indian small-arms partner. The handover has been described as part of the technology transfer and indigenisation process aligned with India’s self-reliance push in defence manufacturing.