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Operation Sindoor showcased the operational maturity of India’s indigenous defence capabilities. Turning this success into long-term self-reliance demands sustained funding, political will, and institutional reform.
Image Source: Getty
Operation Sindoor, launched on 7 May to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack and reinforce India’s deterrence against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, proved to be a watershed moment for India’s defence industry. For the first time in India’s independent history, made-in-India defence equipment played a pivotal role in both offensive and defensive missions. While lethal weapons such as Brahmos and Sky Striker decimated Pakistani terror and military targets, defensive systems such as Integrated Air Combat and Control System (IACCS), Akashteer, Akash, and the Drone-Detect, Deter and Destroy (D4) system demonstrated their prowess in shielding India’s land and skies from the barrage of Pakistani missile and drone attacks.
The impressive display of the indigenously designed and/or manufactured items has given the domestic industry much-needed confidence, which was missing earlier. Despite the size, scope and breadth of its production, the domestic industry in the past had to operate under the shadow of foreign-made weapons. To be sure, imported equipment—whether the Rafale, its associated weapons package (Meteor and SCALP missiles and HAMMER munitions) or the S-400 missile defence system—played an important role in Operation Sindoor, but the indigenous weapons and systems stole the show—something that Prime Minster Narendra Modi proudly acknowledged in his address to the nation on 12 May.
The success of made-in-India weapons can be attributed to decades of efforts by successive governments in creating and nurturing the domestic arms production base to meet the ever-increasing needs of the armed forces.
The success of made-in-India weapons can be attributed to decades of efforts by successive governments in creating and nurturing the domestic arms production base to meet the ever-increasing needs of the armed forces. The Make in India initiative, launched in 2014 by PM Modi, has given an impetus to this vital sector, especially by involving private companies, which are now emerging as an important cog in India’s arms production wheel.
The result of years of nurturing this vital component of national security is evident in India’s increasing arms production and exports. India’s defence production, which stood at INR 74,054 crore in 2016-17, has almost doubled to touch INR 1,46,000 crore in 2024-25. Of the total production, nearly INR 32,000 crore (or 22 percent) was contributed by the private sector. This is not a mean achievement for Indian private companies, which were not even permitted to manufacture arms at the turn of the century.
Along with boosting production, the Indian defence industry has also ventured into the international market. Defence exports, which stood at a paltry INR 1,522 crore in 2016-17, have multiplied 16 times to reach INR 23,622 crore in 2024-25. As Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh stated recently, “over 100 Indian companies are now exporting to over 100 plus countries today.” India’s defence exports basket now consists of a wide range of weapons and platforms, including the Brahmos, Pinaka rocket launcher, Dornier aircraft, armoured vehicles, offshore patrol vessels, artillery guns and munitions, among others.
India’s domestic defence industry has come of age. Yet it is not the time to rest on these laurels. The Indian government and the country’s defence establishment have much to do going forward, for India’s adversaries are modernising at a frenetic pace, increasingly inducting new and emerging technologies into their arsenal.
If the aforementioned numbers and the four-day display of military might during Operation Sindoor are any indication, India’s domestic defence industry has come of age. Yet it is not the time to rest on these laurels. The Indian government and the country’s defence establishment have much to do going forward, for India’s adversaries are modernising at a frenetic pace, increasingly inducting new and emerging technologies into their arsenal.
For its part, India is also modernising its defence force, with an ever-increasing focus on indigenous development and production. The regular improvements in the defence acquisition manual, the Defence Minister’s recent approval of the execution model for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) prototype, and initiatives like the DRDO-BEL project to develop a mobile air defence systems akin to the S-400, in addition to numerous other projects in development and/or production, are among the key steps in the right direction.
These steps, however, need to be backed by adequate resources and a strong political commitment, which can act as a catalyst for major armament programmes. For far too long, India’s defence indigenisation has been hampered by the lack of resources, particularly for research and development (R&D). India’s R&D budget, as accounted for by the DRDO, amounts to less than 4 percent of the MoD’s budget, which itself represents less than two percent of the country’s estimated gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025-26. A minuscule R&D budget in a modest defence budget means important projects are under-resourced.
To ramp up defence indigenisation, there is a need to augment the defence budget to at least 2.5 percent of the GDP in the medium term and to 3 percent thereafter. Simultaneously, the R&D budget must be doubled from the present level. While doing so, a working and viable model to devote 25 percent of the defence R&D budget for the private sector—as announced by the finance minister in her Union Budget 2022-23 speech—also needs to be put in place. This will help harness the innovation capacity of the defence industry by providing the necessary impetus for startups and small and medium enterprises.
India’s R&D budget, as accounted for by the DRDO, amounts to less than 4 percent of the MoD’s budget, which itself represents less than two percent of the country’s estimated gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025-26. A minuscule R&D budget in a modest defence budget means important projects are under-resourced.
To provide a ballast to India’s indigenisation process, there is a need for greater political commitment to domestic R&D projects, particularly those that are vital for self-reliance in critical defence technologies. The Make in India initiative undoubtedly represents a higher political commitment to the defence indigenisation process. This needs to be institutionalised. For that, the government, in consultation with various stakeholders, could identify a select list of major R&D programmes which can be monitored and steered by the leadership at the prime ministerial level. Some of the programmes that merit inclusion in the list include the AMCA, a next-generation aeroengine to power stealth aircraft, hypersonic missiles, long-range air-to-air missiles, and long-range combat and surveillance drones.
In the past, prime ministerial supervision has yielded handsome dividends, as seen in India’s space and nuclear submarine programmes. A similar mission-oriented programme for defence indigenisation, which can be directly monitored by the prime minister, would serve as a catalyst. The Operation Sindoor moment has proven beyond doubt India’s defence industrial capability and brought it wider acclaim. The moment of success needs to be further leveraged to build a robust domestic arms industry.
Laxman Kumar Behera is an Associate Professor at the Special Centre for National Security Studies (SCNSS), Jawaharlal Nehru University.
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Laxman Kumar Behera is Associate Professor at the Special Centre for National Security Studies (SCNSS) Jawaharlal Nehru University.
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