Make in India

Adani Defence announced the agreement on September 5, 2026. Under the arrangement, the company will provide the small-calibre ammunition required for the AK-203 programme for a period of five years, creating an Indian source of ammunition supply alongside the domestic production of the rifles themselves. The value of the agreement, annual ammunition quantities and detailed delivery schedule have not been publicly disclosed.

According to the figures disclosed as part of the initiative, indigenous sources now account for about 97 per cent of frequently required spares for operational units and 93 per cent of mandatory spares needed for overhaul of decentralised fleets. The localisation programme has also generated estimated foreign-exchange savings of ₹582 crore over five years.

An Elephant Walk generally involves several military aircraft taxiing one behind another at relatively close intervals. Although visually striking, its significance lies in the processes behind the formation. Aircraft must be serviceable, crews have to be prepared, ground movements must be carefully coordinated and maintenance and support personnel must ensure that multiple platforms can be generated simultaneously.

DRDO’s official Electronic Warfare technology roadmap identifies “Smart Jamming against Software Defined Radio (SDR) & Cognitive Radio based Military Communication Radios” as one of its electronic countermeasure development tasks. The work has been assigned to the Defence Electronics Research Laboratory, or DLRL, one of DRDO’s principal laboratories specialising in electronic warfare systems.

The next phase of India’s drone manufacturing push is increasingly centred on technologies such as flight-control computers, autopilots, inertial navigation systems, electro-optical sensors, communications equipment, motors, batteries, embedded electronics and specialised payloads.

The discussions in Coimbatore reflected a wider change in modern warfare. UAVs are no longer limited to surveillance and reconnaissance. They are increasingly being used for precision attack, communications relay, targeting, logistics, electronic warfare and autonomous operations.