Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Thursday called upon the domestic defence industries to bolster technological capabilities to address traditional and future challenges.

Inaugurating the Avionics Exposition 2023 organised by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) here, he urged the industry to understand the requirement of services, and evolve solutions that fit the country’s terrain, climate and operational requirements. “India’s challenges must be resolved with Indian solutions as a series of contemporary events have exposed the vulnerability of global supply chains,” he said.

The Chief of Defence Staff pointed out that the government has adopted the ‘Aatmanirbharta’ approach to mitigate uncertainties and this vision demonstrates its confidence in the domestic industry. “A number of steps are being taken to strengthen the defence industrial capabilities under the ‘Aatmanirbharta’ initiative. We are boosting our indigenous and innovative defence capabilities,” he said.

Highlighting the economic prospects of self-reliance in defence including aerospace and avionics, Gen Chauhan asserted that the defence industrial sector has a large potential to achieve the country’s economic goals. “Global Military Avionics Market is projected to grow US$ 56.998 billion by 2030. This provides us a window of opportunity which needs to be exploited by believing in the mantra of ‘Make for India, Make for World’,” he said.

He also underscored the significance of new-age technologies and termed it essential for modern militaries to be ready to fight today while preparing for an “uncertain and ambiguous” future, in the era of dynamic global security landscape and rapid technological advancements.

Stating that the convergence of new technologies is making the battle space more automated and autonomous, he stressed that the advent of technological solutions in the field of networking, data analytics and robotics have heralded a new landscape in the field of avionics.

Gen Chauhan urged the military and the scientific community to maintain pace with the technological requirements, so that the nation remains ahead of the curve. “This would need investment of thoughts, skill and capital. In the field of military avionics, it will include precision targeting, electronic warfare, aircraft health monitoring and data connectivity for positive control,” he added.