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Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, in his recent remarks, highlighted why India needs to have indigenous technologies in both offensive and defensive operations, adding that the country must invest in and develop homegrown capabilities to ensure its security. Relying on foreign technologies is weakening India's security preparation and it also limits the nation's ability to boost production, said CDS, speaking at an event in the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi. 

 

Operation Sindoor has demonstrated New Delhi's indigenous capabilities. The 7 May operation, carried out by the Indian Armed Forces also proved how crucial indigenously developed counter-UAS systems that are built as per India's terrain and operational needs are to the success of military operations, CDS added. 

 

"In today's warfare, you cannot win with yesterday's weapon systems. Today's warfare has to be fought with tomorrow's technology," the CDS highlighted.

 

Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff, in partnership with the think-tank Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, is hosting a one-day workshop on the topic of "Indigenisation of Critical Components Currently Being Imported from Foreign OEMs in the Areas of UAV & C-UAS." The event takes place in the context of recent hostilities between India and Pakistan, Operation Sindoor, which demonstrated the strategic significance and operational efficacy of UAVs and Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS). 

 

Also Read: Learned from tactical mistakes, says Gen Chauhan

 

CDS's statement -

 

"Asymmetric drone warfare is making large platforms vulnerable and driving militaries to rethink the conceptual aspects of air doctrines, development of C-UAS and adaptive moves of engagement." 

 

"Operation Sindoor has shown us why indigenously developed counter-UAS systems built for our terrain and our needs are crucial. We must invest and build to safeguard ourselves. We can not rely solely on these technologies, which are crucial for offensive and defensive missions. During Operation Sindoor, on 10th May, Pakistan used unarmed drones and loitering munitions. None of them inflicted any damage to the Indian military or civil infrastructure. Most were neutralised through a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic means, and some were even recovered in almost intact condition," he added.

 

"Dependence on foreign technologies weakens our preparedness, limits our ability to scale up production, and results in a shortfall of critical spares for sustenance and round-the-clock availability. Foreign capability is known to all and adversaries can predict tactics based on the capability of these systems. "But, if it developed on our own, then an element of surprise can be added, at least in initial encounters," CDS Chauhan said.

 

VIDEO | Delhi: CDS General Anil Chauhan addresses ‘Indigenisation of critical components currently being imported from foreign oems in the areas of UAV & C-UAS’, workshop cum exhibition.

“Today we will be talking about drones and counter UAS systems. Throughout history if you… pic.twitter.com/dtFdTtRrQ2

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 16, 2025

 

Also Read: Professional forces unaffected by losses: CDS on Op Sindoor

 

Why employment of drones considered evolutionary?

 

CDS Chauhan emphasised that the employment of drones is evolutionary.  

 

"When we talk about drones, what do you think these are - are they bringing an evolutionary change or a revolutionary change in warfare? I think their development is evolutionary and their employment has been very revolutionary in warfare... As the realisation of their deployment and scope increased, the Army started using drones in a revolutionary manner; you have seen this in a number of wars fought by us."

 

"In the rapidly evolving landscape of non-contact warfare, UAVs have emerged as a transformative force. For India, self-reliance in UAVs and C-UAS technologies is not only a strategic imperative, but it is also about empowering itself to chart its destiny, safeguard its interests and seize the opportunities of the future," the CDS wrote in his message for the workshop.

 

On the other hand, Brigadier Anshuman Narang (retd) made a presentation on 'Operation Sindoor: Importance of Indigenisation and Lessons Learnt'. He cited the use of drones and counter-drone systems in the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Iran conflict to underline their power driven by technological innovation that can make even large installations vulnerable to their attacks. 

 

Also Read: How drones are working as terrorists' eyes and hands

 

A "sophisticated technology cat-and-mouse game" is being played out there, and India will also have to be prepared as "no drone is small to be ignored," Narang said, adding that indigenisation should not just be limited to a drone or a technology, but the entire architecture. 

 

Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, in his message for the event, said, "India today stands at a strategic inflection point".

 

"Our armed forces and paramilitary agencies increasingly rely on UAVs for ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), targeting, logistics and precision strike. However, the core ecosystem is still significantly dependent on foreign technology," he said.

 

Military leaders, defence experts, scientists, policymakers, and industry representatives convened to chart a “strategic roadmap” for indigenising critical components of UAVs and C-UAS systems. The primary objective is to significantly reduce reliance on foreign manufacturers and strengthen India's self-reliance in these key defence technologies.