Defence Production Needs a ‘Revolution’: Deputy Air Chief Urges Investment in Quantum Computing, Hypersonic Engines, and Grassroots R&D
NEW DELHI — Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, today issued a strong call for 100 per cent indigenisation across the defence production sector, stressing that self-reliance is the decisive factor in winning future conflicts.
Addressing the Aero Tech India 2025 event, organised by FICCI in New Delhi, Air Marshal Bharti warned that anything less than complete indigenisation could cripple defence production, particularly if supplies of critical imported components are choked during a conflict. He recommended achieving full domestic production within defined timeframes to ensure the ability to rapidly ramp up output.
Air Marshal Bharti presented a detailed strategic framework, asserting that future wars “will be won by faster innovation, integration and self-reliance.”
To secure this indigenous edge, the Deputy Air Chief specifically urged manufacturers to focus their investment on cutting-edge technologies critical for future warfare:
Quantum Computing: For the development of secure communications. Scramjet Engines: Essential technology to enable the development of hypersonic missiles. Core Aero Engine Technologies: For both fighter and transport aircraft.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the event, Air Marshal Bharti emphasised that the nation’s research and development (R&D) environment and infrastructure require nothing short of a “revolution.” He highlighted the need to encourage and foster grassroots R&D at the school and college levels to build a pipeline of domestic innovation and technological self-reliance.
