Defense Minister Rajnath Singh presented the Indian armed forces with indigenously designed hardware such as a smart air-launched weapon, anti-drone systems and an advanced radar countermeasure system, to empower India’s efforts in being self-reliant in its defense manufacturing sector, at an event in New Delhi, commemorating the country-wide celebrations of the 75th year of Indian independence.

Additionally, the minister presented a transfer of technology (ToT) agreements comprising agreements for six systems to seven public and private sector companies to enhance their defense manufacturing capabilities, added with a coastal surveillance radar.

This also happens to be a time when a set of policies are actively encouraging self-reliance in the defense sector, on the other hand. Increased foreign direct investment (FDI) from 49 percent to 74 percent, notification of two lists of 209 weapons and systems that cannot be imported, and creation of a special budget for buying locally created military gear are among the initiatives taken by the government to encourage indigenization.

These weapons and systems were developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

One of the weapons including the smart anti-airfield weapon (SAAW), is said to target the enemy’s radars, bunkers, taxiways and runways and is deemed to have a range of 100Km, the next, counter-drone systems, is regarded to swiftly detect, intercept and destroy small drones that pose a security threat.

The anti-drone system has two ways to take down suspicious drones that are fast one is the ‘soft kill’ and the other, ‘hard kill’. The ‘soft kill’ option will jam the hostile drone, while the ‘hard kill’ option shoots a laser beam.


With the first successful flight test of the hyper-sonic technology demonstrator vehicle (HSTDV) by the DRDO last year, India took the first steps toward developing a new class of ultra-modern weapons that can travel six times faster than the speed of sound and penetrate any missile defense.

Only the US, Russia, and China have developed the technology to deploy fast-maneuvering hyper-sonic missiles that fly at lower altitudes and are extremely difficult to identify and intercept. Mach 6 corresponds to a speed of 7,408 km per hour.

Chances are that India might produce hyper-sonic cruise missiles propelled by air-breathing scram-jet engines in four years. Such engines are capable of supersonic combustion and function efficiently at hyper-sonic speeds.

A primary target area indicated by Singh is the development of a hyper-sonic cruise missile.