Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced on Sunday that India is actively working towards developing sixth-generation fighter jets, acknowledging that challenges lie ahead but affirming that the nation's resolve remains unwavering.

Speaking at the NDTV Defence Summit, attended by Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth and other senior armed forces officers, Singh emphasised that India is building capabilities with warfare scenarios of the next 10 to 25 years in mind.

The Defence Minister stated that the country aims not merely to import technology but to define it, marking a significant shift towards indigenous innovation in defence manufacturing.

Singh observed that the present era is one of fifth-generation warfare, where battlefields have expanded beyond land, water and air to include cyber space, outer space and even the human mind.

He noted that global supply chains have also emerged as new arenas of geopolitical conflict, while technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and hypersonic systems are transforming the entire defence sector.

Modern warfare, according to Singh, is no longer confined to soldier-versus-soldier engagements but spans multiple domains including electronic warfare, information warfare, AI-driven autonomous systems, drones and precision-guided weapons.

Recognising that future security landscapes and battlefields will be technology-driven, the Defence Minister stressed that nations leading in technological innovation will hold decisive advantages on the battlefield.

India's defence strategy, he said, is being crafted to be future-ready, with focus extending well beyond present-day weaponry to encompass capabilities required for contact and non-contact, kinetic and non-kinetic warfare.

Singh envisioned a world where India advances alongside the entire global community, stating that India believes in peace and does not seek to occupy the territory of any country.

However, he cautioned that peace should not be mistaken for weakness, asserting that while India seeks global stability, it will not compromise its strategic autonomy. The Defence Minister made it clear that India remains firmly committed to safeguarding its security and strategic autonomy when threatened, and while dialogue is preferred, the scope for dialogue ceases when a country fuels terrorism against India.

Referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks at a recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting, Singh said countries using terrorism as an instrument of state policy and providing shelter to terrorists must receive a strong message that terrorism cannot serve as a strategic asset for anyone.

In a veiled message to Pakistan, the Defence Minister stated that as long as the neighbouring country persists with a state policy of terrorism, India remains fully free to carry out all forms of strikes against it.

Highlighting progress in defence manufacturing over the past decade, Singh revealed that large-scale efforts are underway across India to manufacture everything from aircraft engines to drone engines domestically.

He confirmed that India is working towards developing not just fifth-generation fighter jets but sixth-generation fighter jets as well, aware that challenges will emerge along this path but with unwavering resolve.

Singh expressed confidence that India is fully prepared to take a giant leap in defence manufacturing over the next decade, transitioning from being a technology user to a technology creator.

On hypersonic technology, the Defence Minister disclosed that India has successfully conducted a flight trial of a long-range hypersonic missile and tested a long-duration scramjet engine.

Recent reports indicate that the Defence Research and Development Organisation achieved a 1,200-second runtime test of its actively cooled scramjet full-scale combustor at the Scramjet Connect Pipe Test facility in Hyderabad during May 2026, building upon a 700-second test conducted in January 2026.

This breakthrough in scramjet technology forms a critical foundation for India's hypersonic missile programme, with the May 2026 test demonstrating sustained combustion at hypersonic speeds for approximately 20 minutes.

Based on these technological milestones, Singh underlined that India's armed forces are continuously strengthening their capabilities and preparedness across every dimension of warfare.

Highlighting India's march towards self-reliance in defence, the Defence Minister noted that defence exports have grown from ₹686 crore in 2013-14 to a record ₹38,424 crore in 2025-26, reaching more than 100 countries.

After achieving the ₹30,000 crore export target last year, India has now set an ambitious goal of ₹50,000 crore in defence exports by 2029, signalling the country's emergence as a significant global defence supplier.

PTI