Air Chief Marshal (ACM) AP Singh, the Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), has delivered a strong call to accelerate India's journey towards defence self-sustainability. He stressed the crucial role of private sector involvement and partnerships alongside traditional public sector units in transforming India's defence production landscape.

ACM Singh highlighted that India's current defence import dependence stands at 60 to 70 percent, which poses a significant vulnerability to national security. To mitigate this, he urged a mission-mode approach to rapidly enhance indigenous production capabilities and reduce import reliance to near zero by 2035.

A persistent challenge noted by ACM Singh is the slow pace of indigenous defence technology development, exemplified by the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft programme, which took decades from inception to induction. Highlighting this delay, he famously said, “Technology delayed is technology denied,” emphasising that timely research, development, and production are critical.

He explained that encouraging private industry participation is essential to foster competition, accelerate innovation, and increase production capacity. Companies like Tata, Reliance, Adani, and Mahindra are already contributing, producing aircraft components, drones, and missile systems.

However, ACM Singh insists on more rapid and deeper private sector involvement to meet the IAF’s increasing fleet expansion goals and upcoming platforms like the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

The ACM further underlined that public-private partnerships (PPP) would not only boost production volumes but also generate substantial employment and skill development opportunities for India’s youth. Additionally, the private sector's international business experience could facilitate greater defence exports and global competitiveness of Indian defence products.

He also emphasised revamping the research and development ecosystem, accepting the risks attached to innovation and consequent failures to ensure faster adaptation and delivery of cutting-edge technologies. This is critical given the rapidly evolving geopolitical environment, where reliance on external allies in times of crisis may not be guaranteed.

Highlighting regional security dynamics, ACM Singh pointed out India’s need to counterbalance technological advances by adversaries, particularly China, which has rapidly modernised its military capabilities.

He stressed that India’s strength lies not only in hardware but also in superior training and exposure gained from multinational exercises with a range of advanced air forces across the globe.

The IAF chief articulated a vision where indigenous development spans all major systems, including aircraft engines, radars, and weapon systems, underscoring national strategic autonomy.

In conclusion, ACM Singh’s call for speeding up defence self-sustainability through private sector partnerships aligns with India’s broader objective of achieving self-reliance in defence by 2047.

His leadership advocates a collaborative ecosystem involving government entities like HAL and DRDO, alongside private enterprises, to build a robust, globally competitive defence industrial base supporting the nation’s security and economic growth.

This comprehensive vision represents a pivotal roadmap for India's defence sector, marrying technological advancement with industrial expansion and strategic preparedness. Each incremental step enhanced by private sector dynamism is crucial for India to meet its ambitious defence modernisation goals on time and secure its strategic interests effectively.​

IDN (With Agency Inputs)