India is preparing to significantly scale up its indigenous defence procurement efforts, with Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh announcing that a Request for Proposal (RFP) worth ₹30,000 crore for Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drones will soon be released. The announcement was made at the Network18 Reforms Reloaded 2025 summit in Delhi, highlighting drones as a key focus area in India’s evolving defence priorities.

The planned RFP for MALE-class drones represents a major step toward strengthening India’s autonomous surveillance and strike capabilities. These UAVs are expected to play a pivotal role in enhancing long-endurance missions, border monitoring, and network-centric warfare. The scale of investment also signals the government’s intent to encourage large-scale production and participation by both public and private firms.

Drawing upon operational insights from recent global wars, Singh stressed that modern conflicts rely on massive missile usage and drone deployments. India, he explained, has traditionally operated with calibrated use of missiles, but the nature of future and prolonged conflicts will demand higher stockpiles and rapid manufacturing. This, in turn, necessitates a diversified industrial base beyond traditional state-owned defence firms.

The government intends to sustain defence capital expenditure of $25–30 billion annually over the next decade, with at least 75% of this spending earmarked for domestic industry. Singh pledged that India would “double down” on indigenisation, and where technology maturity levels permit, the country would aim for entirely indigenous procurement. Critical focus areas include drones, UAVs, underwater drones, satellite imagery, and precision munitions—sectors where India must bridge capability gaps.

Acknowledging that state-run firms such as BDL and MIL face capacity limitations in missile and munitions production, Singh announced a policy shift to move away from order reservations. Upcoming reforms will emphasise open competitive bidding rather than nomination-based contracts. Further, to bolster innovation, the Ministry of Defence is creating dedicated sections for start-ups, with assurances of procurement support for five years, and simplified capital expenditure documentation by December 2025.

India’s defence budget execution remains robust, with last year’s allocation fully absorbed and expectations that the current year’s budget will also be completely utilised. Singh projected ₹2–3 lakh crore worth of projects to be executed this fiscal year. Over the medium term, the government foresees a sustainable annual budget increase of 17–18% over the next five years, with a near-term 10% rise deemed adequate.

Singh also addressed India’s air combat capabilities, admitting that fifth-generation fighter jets may not be available in the immediate time frame. However, he underscored that the capability gap could be mitigated by acquiring sufficient numbers of 4th and 4.5 generation fighters, while equipping them with advanced weapons. This approach is designed to maintain deterrence until indigenous programmes such as the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) become operational.

India’s future defence partnerships will be guided by operational needs and technology acquisition. Singh indicated openness to working with both the United States and Russia, based on willingness to share critical technologies. Procurement decisions, he clarified, will be driven by service requirements rather than political alignment, ensuring access to next-generation defence systems.

Looking ahead, Singh revealed that India is set to sign contracts worth ₹1.5 lakh crore in the near term, with an additional ₹75,000 crore pipeline under consideration. This follows last year’s historic signing of projects worth ₹2.09 lakh crore, a benchmark the government expects to match or exceed this year.

Singh’s announcements underscore a strategic transformation in India’s defence ecosystem—shifting from dependence on imports and state dominance toward a more competitive, self-reliant, and technology-driven framework. The upcoming MALE drone RFP worth ₹30,000 crore will likely be a flagship example of India’s new procurement model that blends scale, competition, and indigenous industrial development.

Based On News18 Report