For strategic autonomy, India needs to build its own technology for defence

livemint.com:

₹3 trillion of capital acquisition by 2028-29, nearly double the current ₹1.7 trillion, offering a significant opportunity for domestic companies. Furthermore, 509 platforms and 4,666 components are reserved exclusively for domestic production. “The ability of Indian industry today to fundamentally conceptualize from technology to a product to a system to a full fledged platform is fully recognized," said Jayant Patil, member of executive committee & adviser, defence and smart technology, to chairman and managing director at Larsen & Toubro (L&T).

“It is a journey that started more than two decades ago in 2002 and with incremental steps taken over time we are now in a position where 92% of our future defence requirement will be met through the domestic industry." L&T, a pioneer in the sector, began its investments 18 years prior to the privatization of the industry, gaining immediate benefits from liberalization. However, Patil acknowledged that the development of the supply chain has been a gradual process. “In 2002, there were only two big private players and maybe 500-600 small entrepreneurs.

Today there are 10 large companies and 12,000 MSMEs in the country," Patil said. “We are fighting a four front war and cannot function as we used to in the past. Gone are the days of getting hardware from overseas and building the software here.