Defence Secretary Calls for Policy Framework to Strengthen India’s Aerospace Ecosystem
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure | SDG 16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
Institutions: Ministry of Defence
At the Strategic Insight Conference on Indigenous Development of Critical Technologies for Air Power, organised by the Centre for Aerospace Power and Strategic Studies (CAPSS) in New Delhi, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh emphasised the need for a structured policy framework to consolidate India’s aerospace and defence manufacturing base through balanced public–private synergy.
Key points raised at the conference:
Diversification of the industrial base to dismantle monopolies, promote innovation, and ease business across defence suppliers.
Focus on Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence: building indigenous capacity in advanced aero technologies, long-range air-to-air missiles, electronic warfare, sensors, radars, data links, and more.
The Vice Chief of the Air Staff emphasized that air power, demonstrated during Operation Sindoor, demands not just design capacity but deep expertise in systems integration and emerging tech.
DRDO, through its AERO wing, spotlighted disruptive potentials in UAVs, multi-sensor fusion, stealth, quantum/photonic & blockchain tech for aerospace applications.
Technical sessions examined jet engine co-development, next-generation propulsion, fly-by-light control systems, and ecosystem challenges in airline/defense supply chains.
A dedicated, coherent policy architecture is critical to sustaining momentum in defence innovation. Such a framework can coordinate funding, standards, strategic procurement, private sector engagement, and risk-sharing in high-tech domains. It helps align India’s defence modernization with industrial development, ensuring that sovereign capability is built domestically.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
Which institutional mechanisms, such as a Defence Innovation Council, aerospace industry clusters, or public–private consortia, could best operationalise synergy between public R&D and private-sector scale-up?
Follow the full news here: Defence Secretary Calls for Policy Framework to Strengthen India’s Aerospace Ecosystem