India’s Secret Arsenal Unveiled: DRDO Chief Lifts The Veil On India’s New Military Might

New Delhi: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chief Dr. Samir V. Kamat opened the lid on how India is rewriting the foundations of recent conflict. He declared that along with catching up with world powers in defence era, India could also be getting ready to leapfrog them.

The fresh Operation Sindoor, a blistering army reaction to the fatal April 22 terror assault in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, witnessed Indian forces wielding homegrown weaponry designed and evolved via the DRDO, techniques that, consistent with him, destroyed and ruled the enemy.

During the blistering army offensive, the Akash missile machine, the Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) and the state-of-the-art anti-drone D4 machine had been deployed in sync – handing over what the DRDO leader referred to as a “tremendous” efficiency.

He identified that the techniques had been evolved over years, with Akash beginning again in 2004-05, later upgraded in partnership with Israel to turn out to be MRSAM. But it used to be the seamless integration of those 3, the Akash, the MRSAM and the D4, that reworked India’s battlefield reaction.

“They performed superbly and thwarted every enemy attack,” he stated with delight.

And it used to be now not simplest the missiles. India’s radar features have additionally leapt ahead. Dr. Kamat emphasized how DRDO has mastered the artwork of designing multifunctional radars that now cater to the Army, the Navy and the Air Force in a unified community.

“Earlier, every radar operated independently. Now, we have integrated them for real-time data sharing. That changes everything,” he stated.

But what’s coming subsequent may just redefine conflict within the area and possibly the sector. He printed that DRDO’s arsenal nonetheless holds a number of arrows which are but to be unleashed. Within the following 2-3 years, India plans to induct a number of indigenously evolved defence platforms – together with the Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS), the Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (MPATGM), the Pralay and Rudram missile techniques, complicated gentle torpedoes and next-generation landmines.

Then comes the crown jewel, the BrahMos. Work is already underway to improve its vary – with plans to combine the BrahMos Next Generation (NG) missile into more than one airplane, now not simply the Sukhoi. “Its precision and power make it one of the most exceptional missiles in the world,” he stated. And it does now not prevent there. The Astra-2 and Astra-3 air-to-air missiles are within the pipeline, whilst Rudram is evolving as a power multiplier.

In a commentary that hints at ambitions rivaling Israel’s famed Iron Dome, he additionally showed that India is growing its personal layered defence machine. With Akash, QRSAM, S-400 and paintings at the ‘Kusha’ missile – India’s solution to the S-500 – already in movement, it’s transparent that New Delhi has a company eye at the sky.

“The plan is to have multiple units of these across the nation,” he added.

What concerning the next-gen air power? The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) mission, cleared ultimate yr, is already in movement. The prototype shall be able via 2029, take a look at flights will observe and whole induction into the Indian Air Force is slated to start round 2035. “It could be done with HAL or even with private players,” he stated, hinting at a brand new technology of public-private synergy in India’s defence panorama.

On the lighter facet of firepower, India is accelerating construction of the LCA Mk1A, even supposing delays in GE engine provide have slowed deliveries. Nonetheless, the Air Force will obtain all 83 ordered jets inside the subsequent 3 years.

Mk2s are at the horizon too, with the DRDO eyeing 2033 for his or her rollout. Trials for a brand new indigenous gentle tank will start in mid-2025 and manufacturing will observe via 2027.

Dr. Kamat didn’t cling again when talking about drones both. “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are becoming gamechangers,” he stated and showed that the DRDO is operating on base tech and integration.

With swarm drones turning into a long run risk, India could also be pushing ahead its anti-drone arsenal with urgency.

Finally, reflecting at the strategic shift in India’s defence ecosystem, he credited the incumbent govt for championing the reason for self-reliance. “Earlier, the DRDO was a platform for just research and development (R&D). Now, with the ecosystem in place, we are marching toward becoming a global defence technology leader,” he stated.

With indigenous marvels just like the Pinaka, the BrahMos and the Akash main the rate, it’s laborious to argue in a different way.

If there used to be ever any doubt that India used to be able to face shoulder-to-shoulder with the sector’s defence giants, Dr. Kamat left no room for it.