Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday called for an integrated aerospace ecosystem capable of meeting both civil and military aviation requirements, while sounding a warning over delays in defence technology projects that can create critical capability gaps, push up costs and leave equipment obsolete by the time it enters production.
Speaking at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru, Singh said project delays caused by technological and other challenges must be taken seriously and timelines should be realistic. His remarks came as HAL handed over two Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Final Operational Clearance twin-seater trainers and three HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force, along with four Dhruv Next Generation helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited.
Delays pose risks
Singh said delays remained an important issue in technology-intensive defence programmes and warned that their consequences extended beyond higher expenditure.
“There are some issues on which we need to work. One very important issue is that of delays,” he said, adding that several technical projects faced setbacks for various reasons, including technological challenges.
The Defence Minister pointed out that rapid advances in technology could result in equipment becoming outdated even before its development and production were completed. In some instances, he said, better technologies had emerged elsewhere by the time a particular system was ready.
He consequently called for realistic project schedules and stronger efforts to ensure that critical programmes remain on track.
One aerospace ecosystem
Singh said India needed to move beyond treating civil and military aviation capabilities as separate domains and instead create an ecosystem capable of serving both.
“We need to develop an ecosystem that can effectively address the requirements of both the civil and military aviation sectors,” he said.
Capabilities developed domestically in aircraft design, avionics, propulsion, composite materials, flight-control systems, manufacturing and certification could strengthen the entire aerospace industry rather than only the defence sector, he added.
Singh described Friday’s handover as an example of the growing convergence between civil and defence aerospace capabilities. While the Tejas trainer represents the military fighter aircraft ecosystem, the Dhruv-NG marks an important expansion of indigenous capabilities into civil aviation.
Public-private push
The Defence Minister also called for deeper cooperation between public-sector defence companies and private industry, arguing that they should complement rather than compete with each other.
“Let us not view the public and private sectors as competitors,” Singh said, calling for enhanced public-private synergy to build next-generation indigenous aerospace capabilities.
Greater cooperation, he said, could accelerate the growth of India’s aerospace industry and help the country prepare for technological changes driven by artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, unmanned aerial systems, electronic warfare, cyber technologies and next-generation propulsion.
Singh stressed that these technologies must increasingly be developed and integrated within India.
Innovation for future wars
Noting that the nature of warfare was changing rapidly, Singh said future air operations would become increasingly information-intensive and technology-driven. Indigenous development of complex systems was therefore essential to maintaining combat effectiveness.
He urged scientists, engineers, designers, test pilots and technicians to focus on technologies that do not exist today but could become essential to future military requirements.
The objective, he said, should extend beyond reducing dependence on imports to securing a leading position for India in the global aerospace technology landscape over the next decade.
Combat effectiveness in future conflicts, Singh said, would depend on the combination of highly trained personnel, advanced technologies, integrated systems and rapid decision-making.
Three indigenous platforms
Singh described HAL’s simultaneous delivery of the three aircraft types as a significant milestone in India’s journey towards indigenous aerospace capability and technological self-reliance.
The two Tejas FOC twin-seater trainers are the final aircraft under the FOC contract and will support the IAF’s training requirements while allowing pilots to transition to frontline fighter operations. The trainer retains the principal systems and combat capabilities of the frontline Tejas platform.
The indigenously designed HTT-40 is intended to meet the basic flying training requirements of the armed forces. Singh noted that India had depended on imported aircraft for basic pilot training for years, but HAL was now manufacturing the aircraft domestically.
The four Dhruv-NG helicopters handed over to Pawan Hans mark the platform’s entry into the civil and commercial rotary-wing segment. The helicopter has been configured for roles including passenger transport, emergency medical services and offshore logistics.
‘No sudden big bang’
Singh cautioned that achieving complete aerospace self-reliance would necessarily be a gradual process because of the complexity and breadth of the sector.
“There can be no sudden ‘big bang’ in the development of aerospace systems,” he said, describing aircraft development as a long ladder consisting of numerous products, technologies and components that must be mastered step by step.
Challenges along that path, he said, should be treated as milestones on a larger roadmap rather than deterrents.
Singh said the government had sought to create opportunities for both defence public-sector undertakings and private companies while providing a level playing field for domestic industry.
“Our aim is to make India capable, self-reliant and globally competitive in meeting its aerospace requirements,” he said, adding that an integrated and indigenous aerospace ecosystem would be critical to achieving that objective.