{"id":86346,"date":"2026-10-07T18:26:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:56:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=86346"},"modified":"2026-10-07T18:28:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:58:28","slug":"india-aerospace-sovereignty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/07-10-2026\/india-aerospace-sovereignty","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Aerospace Sovereignty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Science and Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Defence Minister emphasised that achieving aerospace and defence self-reliance requires indigenous aero-engine capabilities across design, development, testing, manufacturing, materials and MRO, particularly for the AMCA programme .<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s aerospace and Defence Sector<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The aerospace industry in India represents a huge opportunity for growth and could account for \u20b93 lakh billion of defence production in India by 2029.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The aerospace market alone is projected to require an estimated 43,000 new aircraft over the next 20 years because of increasing demand coming from the international marketplace.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Approach and Initiatives&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Focus on Self-reliance<\/strong>: Self-reliance in aero-engines is the foundation of India\u2019s complete aerospace sovereignty.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Work is underway on indigenous high-thrust engines, testing infrastructure, raw materials, and robust MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) capabilities, building a strong engine ecosystem in the country<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Defence Acquisition Council (DAC): <\/strong>It<strong> <\/strong>is India\u2019s premier defence procurement organization, spearheading indigenous acquisitions for Atmanirbhar Bharat.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It has granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for about \u20b96 lakh crore of DRDO-designed, Indian industry-manufactured systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indigenous purchases <\/strong>are strengthening fighting capabilities:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The approvals include 97 Tejas Mk-1A fighter fighters costing Rs 62,000 crore and 156 LCH Prachand helicopters costing Rs 62,700 crore. These procurements boost indigenous aerospace and defence manufacturing capabilities of India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020<\/strong> gave a push to indigenous procurement and domestic manufacture.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It also broadened the scope of Indian enterprises in defence design, development and manufacture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 <\/strong>streamlined defence buys and also moved Make in India forward.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It established the framework for future reforms in defence procurement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Simplified revenue procurement <\/strong>of almost Rs 1 lakh crore in the Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It accelerated approvals, lowered penalties for indigenous projects and ensured long-term orders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indigenous high-thrust engine<\/strong>: Government aims to invest over \u20b95,000 crore for development of a domestic high-thrust aero-engine, especially for the AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) program.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Testing &amp; Materials: <\/strong>India will Set Up Its First Indigenous High-Thrust Engine Testing Facility and Collaborate with MIDHANI for Indigenisation of Critical Raw Materials<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>HAL Koraput milestone: <\/strong>HAL hands up 2,000th aero-engine, AL-31FP for Su-30MKI fighters. It has also refurbished 9,000+ engines.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Koraput factory of HAL is manufacturing Russian-origin engines with technology transfer, however some spares, forgings and castings are still being imported.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The IAF has roughly 260 Su-30s in service and HAL estimates a life-time requirement of around 900 engines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shakti engine<\/strong>: A second production line for the Shakti engine, developed together with Safran, will increase the capacity to 180 engines a year from 80 at an investment of 218 crore.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global partnerships<\/strong>: India is also bringing in Safran and Rolls-Royce to help build up domestic aero-engine capabilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>iDEX project : <\/strong>With an expenditure of \u20b9498.78 crore, the iDEX project had 676 startups, MSMEs and innovators, which resulted in 551 design and development contracts as of March 2026.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>ADITI initiative: <\/strong>The Defence Innovation Organization\u2019s (DIO) financial support initiative to expedite breakthrough inventions for the military. Sanctioned at an outlay of \u20b9750 crore for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Technology Development Fund<\/strong>: The initiative offers for funding of up to Rs. 50 crore for development of vital defence technology.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u00a0Besides, a corpus of \u20b9500 crore was being given for deep technology and new technologies and 80 projects worth \u20b9334 crore were being implemented by June 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Importance of India\u2019s Aerospace and Defence Sector\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Strategic Autonomy and National Security:<\/strong> Aircraft manufacturing\u00a0 lowers dependence on volatile foreign supply chains in times of geopolitical crisis and ensures continual operational readiness of defence forces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Growth and High-Value Jobs:<\/strong> Aerospace production is precision engineering.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u00a0It drives demand for trained technicians, software engineers, and materials scientists and boosts high-tech GDP contributions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Technology Transfer: <\/strong>Collaborations with global aerospace giants provide advanced manufacturing methods, advanced composites and precision machining technology to Indian ecosystems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Export Potential and Soft Power: <\/strong>The spread of defence platforms (BrahMos missiles, HAL Light Combat Helicopters, and radar systems) to friendly foreign governments enhances economic and geopolitical ties.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Commercial Space and Downstream Applications: <\/strong>\u00a0Space technologies facilitate important civilian infrastructure, such as satellite communication, disaster management, agricultural yield mapping and urban planning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Do you know?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Indian Army<\/strong> has indigenised almost 91 per cent of its ammunition inventory with 159 of the 175 varieties being produced in-country.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has successfully test fired the operational and technical aspects of <strong>Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Agni-4<\/strong> and Long Range Surface-to-Surface Ballistic Missile Agni-5.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Indigenous precision attack capabilities against ground targets have also been tested with the <strong>TARA Glide Weapon and RudraM-II air-to-surface missile<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The DRDO has progressed several indigenously developed systems like the Kusha Long Range Air Defence Missile and Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The DRDO has successfully completed a 12-minute ground test of an actively cooled scramjet combustor for hypersonic missile development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Indian Navy <\/strong>commissioned 12 vessels and submarines including INS Surat, INS Nilgiri and INS Vaghsheer.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>INS Mahendragiri, stealth frigate, inducted with more than 75% indigenous content.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SHACHI, the first of 11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels, has been launched. Commissioning of INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak and INS Agray completes indigenous Sandhayak-class survey fleet, enhances maritime surveillance and survey capabilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The DRDO has successfully carried out test-firing of Naval Anti-Ship Missile\u2013Medium Range and shown multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence capability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges and Concerns&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Over-Reliance on Critical Components:<\/strong> essential components such as aero-engines, high-end radar electronics and specialist alloys are still largely imported.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>High Cost<\/strong> : Aerospace R&amp;D is extremely capital demanding and gestation times are in decades.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Domestic private sector players are usually faced with high capital costs and significant risk exposure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Emerging Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) Ecosystem<\/strong>: Indian commercial aircraft are being transported abroad for significant maintenance checks, resulting in capital outflow due to tax arrangements, certification barriers and lack of local infrastructure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles: <\/strong>Modernising certification pipelines, procurement processes and defence acquisition regulations can be slow, often delaying the integration of products.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Structural gap in Specialised expertise<\/strong>: India produces a large number of general engineers, but there is a structural shortage in specialised experience in fields like flight control design, propulsion engineering and stealth technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Indian aerospace industry is heading toward more self-reliance through indigenous platforms, private-sector engagement and space capabilities, genuine technological autonomy demands mastery of aero-engines, advanced materials, avionics, sensors and autonomous systems.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is a need for\u00a0 sustained funding for R&amp;D, stronger industry\u2013academia\u2013DRDO\u2013ISRO collaboration, robust testing and certification infrastructure, integration of MSMEs and start-ups into global supply chains, civil\u2013military technology convergence and international partnerships focusing on technology transfer and absorption.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Aerospace should become a wider national technology ecosystem with India becoming a global MRO and aerospace manufacturing hub while creating a specialised skilled workforce.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source&nbsp; :<a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/rajnath-singh-hal-koraput-aero-engine-amca-shakti-line-expansion-10909594\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> In News <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Defence Minister emphasised that achieving aerospace and defence self-reliance requires indigenous aero-engine capabilities across design, development, testing, manufacturing, materials and MRO, particularly for the AMCA programme . <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> India\u2019s aerospace and defence sector <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The aerospace industry in India represents a huge opportunity for growth and could account for \u20b93 lakh billion of defence production in India by 2029.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The aerospace market alone is projected to require an estimated 43,000 new aircraft over the next 20 years because of increasing demand coming from the international marketplace. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/07-10-2026\/india-aerospace-sovereignty\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86346"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86349,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86346\/revisions\/86349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}