DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat delivered the keynote address at the 40th Air Chief Marshal PC Lal Memorial Lecture, organised by the Air Force Association.

He emphasised India's progress towards self-reliance in defence technologies, highlighting a fair degree of achievement in missile systems, armoured vehicles, military bridging systems, artillery, guns, ammunition, light combat aircraft, helicopters, ships, submarines, radars, sonars, and torpedoes.

Kamat noted that these advancements stem from capabilities built in system configuration, design, engineering, integration, testing, evaluation, qualification, certification, subsystems development, components, device manufacturing, machine tools, fixtures, and materials for scaled production.​​

He pointed out a critical gap between capability and capacity, stating that while India possesses a solid defence capability pyramid, sustained warfare demands rapid, large-scale production.

In the next two to three years, several key systems are slated for induction, including the long-range land attack missile, long-range anti-ship missile, Akash air defence system, and Astra MK-2 air-to-air missile. These developments align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat, challenging India to lead in defence technologies by 2047.​

Kamat underscored the evolving nature of warfare across land, air, sea, space, cyber, and information domains, urging a significant boost in defence R&D spending. India currently allocates only 0.65 per cent of GDP to R&D, far below competitors' over 2 per cent, with defence R&D comprising just 5.75 per cent of the defence budget compared to the US's more than 10 per cent. He paid tribute to Air Chief Marshal PC Lal, whose leadership during the 1971 war shaped the Indian Air Force.​

A central theme of his address was the necessity of defence exports to sustain R&D and production. Describing defence as a monopolistic business with typically one buyer, Kamat argued that exports must be pursued seriously to maintain momentum, especially as private sector and industry involvement in design and development grows.

The defence ecosystem rests on three pillars—R&D, production, and user integration—with DRDO leading much of the innovation, though academia, MSMEs, PSUs, and private firms are increasingly contributing.​

Kamat expressed optimism about India's export potential, building on recent war-tested equipment and government targets like ₹50,000 crore by 2028-29, with current exports already at ₹23,622 crore. This push comes amid operations like Sindoor, which validated indigenous systems and boosted global interest.

His lecture reinforced the strategic imperative for enhanced investment, exports, and integration to prepare for future conflicts.​

Agencies