Sri Vijaya Puram, May 22: India has moved beyond merely assembling military equipment and is steadily building indigenous defence capability, but significant gaps remain in critical technologies such as engines, semiconductors and advanced materials, according to defence industry veteran Arun Ramchandani.
Speaking on the inaugural episode of Armed and Ready, a podcast series launched by The Wave Andaman, Ramchandani said India’s pursuit of strategic autonomy has evolved from licensed manufacturing to indigenous design capability, though complete technological independence remains a long-term challenge.
The discussion, hosted by journalist Nandita Khemka, explored whether India is genuinely developing a self-reliant defence ecosystem or continuing to depend heavily on imported technologies despite rising domestic production.
Ramchandani, who has also served as president of the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers, explained that strategic autonomy in defence can be understood at three levels, manufacturing autonomy, design autonomy and technology autonomy.
According to him, India initially focused on licensed manufacturing, where foreign-designed military systems were produced domestically. Over the years, however, the country has built considerable capability in designing major platforms such as naval warships and combat aircraft.
Citing indigenous warship programmes and the HAL Tejas fighter jet as examples, he said India now possesses growing platform-design capability. Yet, he stressed that true autonomy lies in controlling the “critical technology elements” embedded within those systems.
Critical Gaps Remain
Ramchandani identified propulsion systems, advanced electronics, semiconductors and specialised defence materials as some of the biggest vulnerabilities in India’s defence ecosystem.
“Whether it is a jet engine, tank engine or key photonics detectors, there are still technological gaps,” he observed during the discussion.
He noted that India continues to face challenges in sourcing and processing critical materials at scale and must invest more aggressively in research, manufacturing infrastructure and deep technology ecosystems to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.
The conversation also touched upon lessons emerging from ongoing geopolitical crises and supply chain disruptions across the world, particularly around strategic choke points such as the Strait of Hormuz.
Ramchandani said recent conflicts have demonstrated how modern warfare increasingly depends on resilient logistics, industrial depth and production capacity rather than just battlefield capability.
He pointed out that countries today need the ability to rapidly manufacture, sustain, repair and replace systems during prolonged conflicts.
“The ability to sustain, repair and replace systems quickly has become as important as building them,” he said.
He further highlighted the rising importance of drone warfare, satellite-linked intelligence systems, autonomous technologies and cyber capability in shaping future conflicts.
At the same time, he cautioned against shifting entirely towards digital or electronic warfare strategies at the cost of conventional military capability.
“You cannot stop building tanks, ships and submarines and rely entirely on electronic warfare,” he said, adding that India must maintain a balanced approach between traditional platforms and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.
Procurement and Industry Bottlenecks
The podcast also focused extensively on the role of private industry in India’s defence manufacturing ambitions.
Ramchandani said the government has taken several steps over the years to encourage private sector participation, but structural bottlenecks continue to slow progress.
According to him, one of the biggest challenges for private defence companies remains the lack of predictable order visibility and the slow pace of procurement.
He said defence manufacturing requires sustained demand, easier access to capital, stronger support for research and development and faster conversion of procurement approvals into contracts.
“Policy enablements are there, but execution still takes time,” he remarked.
He acknowledged that public sector defence undertakings continue to hold a dominant position due to their legacy systems and large order books, although the broader policy environment has become more supportive of private participation.
The discussion also examined India’s rising defence exports, which the host noted had crossed Rs 38,000 crore in FY26. Ramchandani said domestic defence production is expected to continue growing as more procurement cases are increasingly reserved for indigenous sources.
However, he maintained that procurement delays remain a major obstacle to faster industrial growth.
Ramchandani argued that India’s future defence ambitions will depend not only on building indigenous platforms but also on mastering the technologies that power them.
“We don’t have a choice but to build our own platforms,” he said, while stressing the importance of investing in deep-tech capability and innovation-led warfare systems.
Maritime security and supply chain resilience also featured prominently in the discussion. Referring to strategic sea lanes and choke points in the Indian Ocean Region, Ramchandani said India must strengthen maritime domain awareness and underwater surveillance systems.
He emphasised the need for greater investment in sonar systems, autonomous underwater vehicles and intelligence-processing capability to improve maritime security preparedness.
On global partnerships, Ramchandani drew a distinction between collaboration and dependence, stating that co-development and co-production arrangements can help India accelerate technological growth without compromising strategic interests.
He cited India’s collaborations with countries such as the United States on critical and emerging technologies as examples of constructive strategic partnerships.
Towards the end of the episode, Ramchandani identified three broad reforms that could help India evolve further in defence capability, speeding up procurement processes, expanding support for deep tech defence research and enabling disruptive innovation in future warfare technologies.
He also called for a shift away from purely lowest-cost procurement models towards systems that place greater emphasis on quality, capability and long-term strategic value.
