New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said India needs to move faster to become a global hub for indigenous drone manufacturing.
Speaking at the National Defence Industries Conclave 2026 in New Delhi, he pointed out that ongoing conflicts and tensions across regions have shown how important drones and counter-drone systems have become in warfare.
He said future wars will rely more on unmanned technologies, and India cannot afford to lag behind in this area.
Singh also made it clear that building drones alone will not be enough, adding, "Work needs to be done on core areas like software, engines, batteries and other critical parts so that dependence on imports can be reduced."
Talking about self-reliance, he said strengthening domestic defence manufacturing is necessary for national security and preparedness in the long run.
He also asked MSMEs, start-ups, innovators and big industry players to work together, with policy support from the government.
At the event, new initiatives were launched under the Innovations for Defence Excellence framework, including the 14th Defence India Start-up Challenge and ADITI 4.0, to push development of advanced defence technologies.