Industry insiders expect the government to push military modernisation much further - and faster

The Indian Air Force light combat helicopter Prachand performs during the Aero India airshow in Bengaluru on February 13, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)

Business Standard

Naval mines have re-emerged as potent instruments of modern conflict but India is not immune to their destructive power

INS Kozhikode (M-71), a Karwar-class minesweeper commissioned in 1988, carrying out mine-laying and clearing operations before it was decommissioned in 2019 (Photo: Indian Navy)

Hyunmoo-5 stands out for its heavy conventional warhead estimated to weigh between eight and nine tonnes

The Hyunmoo, surface-to-surface missile (Photo: Reuters)

From Chola naval power to Curzon's imperial spectacle and today's Indo-Pacific contest, the Indian Ocean has long shaped Asia's politics, trade, and ideas

Subhas Chandra Bose transfers in a rubber raft from a German to a Japanese submarine in the Indian Ocean in April 1943 (Photo: Netaji Research Bureau, Kolkata)

As Washington grows risk-averse and Beijing gains leverage, the Seoul deal reshapes India's geopolitical space

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

As Moscow deepens ties with China and courts Pakistan, India must engage Russia with clear eyes and calibrated realism

Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev (left) speaking in New Delhi in November 1973. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is seated alongside (Photo: Russian Embassy in India)

As the UN turns 80, India's peacekeeping legacy blends moral conviction with hard strategic choices

Major Jasmine Chattha leads a parade of Indian peacekeeping troops at a United Nations medals award ceremony in South Sudan (Photo: UN Mission in South Sudan)

As the global centre of gravity shifts towards the Indo-Pacific, India faces both opportunity and challenge in a bipolar world shaped by US-China rivalry

The Chinese naval ship Qi Jiguang arrives at a commercial port in Sihanoukville, southern Cambodia, on October 10 (Photo: PTI)

As militancy, military clashes and mass deportations collide, Pakistan and Afghanistan slide from uneasy coexistence towards open confrontation

An anti-aircraft gun at the Afghan-Pakistan border in October 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

As Trump's second-term worldview hardens around "America First" and civilizational realism, India finds itself indispensable to US strategy yet increasingly constrained

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters upon his return to Washington at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US on November 9, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

As the transatlantic order fractures and great-power ties realign, Europe and India confront parallel reckonings

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on February 28, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

As India strengthens its defence capabilities with AI and frontier technology, the armed forces face a rapidly evolving landscape of information warfare, cyber threats, and autonomous combat systems

modern warfare, modern war, cyber attack, artificial intelligence, robotics

Representational image (Imaging: Ajaya Mohanty)

HAL is leveraging its legacy and ramping up research & development to secure its place in India's evolving defence landscape

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd Chairman and Managing Director D K Sunil with the indigenous light combat Tejas aircraft (Photo: HAL)

A new set of disruptive technologies, indiscriminate use of air power, and obstinate willingness on both sides to test the tripwires have made the India-Pakistan conflict much more complex

Operation Sindoor involved the IAF successfully utilising the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system to counter Pakistani air attacks (Photo: Reuters)

India’s former ambassador to China, Ashok Kantha, tells Satarupa Bhattacharjya in a video interview that talks between the two countries are proving to be a protracted, difficult process > > > >

India's national security strategy is still developing, with challenges in balancing traditional and new threats

national security strategy, Indian military, opinion

Indian soldiers disembark from a military transport plane at a forward airbase in the Ladakh region on September 15, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)

Why winter gear is central to building  the country's Himalayan deterrence

Breakdown of the Himkavach (Photo: DRDO; Graphics: Blueprint design desk)

Information warfare is where legitimacy is established, deterrence is built, and sovereignty is defended

A Navy commando rappels down from a Westland Sea King helicopter during Exercise Trishul in Porbandar, Gujarat, on November 13, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

China continues to see India-Russia relations as a double-edged sword

A Chinese warship sails during the joint naval exercise of China, Russia, and Iran in the Gulf of Oman on March 12, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

The need of the hour is to strengthen military capability and logistic readiness, and streamline defence budgeting

Indian and Chinese soldiers marching along the India-China border in Bumla, Arunachal Pradesh, in 2019 (Photo: PTI)

With Russia and China making headway in strategic weaponry, the US and others will seek to catch up

An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile during a test at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on November 5, 2025 (Photo: United States Space Force)

India needs to balance the inexorable logic of force optimisation with making up for the numbers lost

Ukranian soldiers launch a Leleka reconnaissance drone to combat Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 26, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

One of the foremost experts on South Asian security and military, Christine Fair tells Blueprint that the US under President Trump is ceding ground to China not just in South Asia but everywhere

The Blueprint podcast with Christine Fair

India's former Foreign Secretary, Kanwal Sibal, tells Blueprint why the commonly stated idea of the United States (US) seeing India as a bulwark against China does not reflect India's priorities.

The Blueprint Podcast with Kanwal Sibal

An expert in European foreign and security policy, SVEN BISCOP speaks to BS Blueprint

The Blueprint Podcast with Sven Biscop

India’s former ambassador to the United States, Navtej Sarna, tells Satarupa Bhattacharjya in a video interview that a trade deal might not be enough for US President Donald Trump > > >

The latest directed-energy military weapons from around the world

World’s maiden laser-armed tank (Photo: FNSS)

World's maiden laser-armed tank (Photo: FNSS)

Syrian security forces after clashes between Syrian troops and Druze fighters in Sweida, Syria, in July 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

The latest military robotics from around the world

First grenade-launching robot dog (Photo: Skyborne Technologies)

The complicated, fragmented, and ever-evolving conflict in Myanmar involves the military junta and numerous ethnic armed groups

The Myanmar Army’s Russian-developed Mi-17 helicopter (Photo: Russian Helicopters)

The MEA said the two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest and underscored their shared interest in regional peace, security and stability

India–UAE defence cooperation has gained momentum due to recent exchanges of visits

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar raised concerns over tariffs and criticism linked to India's Russia ties during talks with visiting Polish Deputy PM Radoslaw Sikorski in New Delhi

The visit of the Polish deputy prime minister comes in the context of India’s vigorous engagement with Europe

The visit of the Polish deputy prime minister comes in the context of India's vigorous engagement with Europe

2026 Davos summit: The five-day meeting, held under the theme "A Spirit of Dialogue," is expected to focus on economic resilience, AI, energy transition, and global risks

Davos will see deployment of more than 5,000 armed forces personnel, snipers at vantage points, and AI-powered drones, as global elites start arriving at the snow-clad ski resort town for the five day WEF Annual Meeting, which begins Monday

After a night-long halt, security forces resumed their search operation on Monday to track down terrorists believed to be hiding in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, officials said.
The operation was launched in Sonnar village near Mandral-Singhpora in the Chatroo belt on Sunday, leading to a gunfight that left eight soldiers injured, primarily due to splinter injuries caused by a sudden grenade attack from the hiding terrorists.
The operation was suspended late Sunday night in the challenging terrain marked by thick vegetation and steep slopes, limiting visibility and movement, officials said.
Multiple teams of the army, police, and paramilitary forces, supported by drones and sniffer dogs, are combing the area while maintaining a tight security cordon to ensure that the terrorists are not able to escape, the officials said.
A group of two to three terrorists allegedly affiliated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) are believed to be trapped in

Security personnel deployed during the search operation for terrorists in the forest area of Gadole, Kokernag in Anantnag district on Sunday

One of the injured troopers, Havildar Gajendra Singh, breathed his last during treatment at a military hospital here during the intervening night of January 18 and 19

Press Trust of India

Radoslaw Sikorski, Polish deputy prime minister, who also holds the portfolio of foreign affairs, along with his spouse, journalist and historian Anne Applebaum, will be in India from Monday onwards

Ministry of External Affairs

Shadi Hamid's argument for a world with the US as the sole hegemon is more confused than convincing

The Case for American Power By Shadi Hamid Simon & Schuster

India's first Republic Day parade began the tradition of showcasing arms

The Republic Day parade has been held every year on Rajpath (now Kartavya Path) since 1955 (Photo: Ministry of Defence)

Gautam Hazarika's debut book has important stories but falters in its telling

The Forgotten Indian Prisoners of World War II: Surrender, Loyalty, Betrayal and Hell By Gautam Hazarika

General Sam Manekshaw (centre) greets people in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on December 29, 1971	(Photo: Ministry of Defence)

Operation Sindoor might prompt an increase in expenditure in the coming years

Graphics by the Blueprint design team

The Business Standard Defence Index is designed to track the performance of 25 key defence stocks

Photo: Shutterstock

Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and China fare better in proportional terms

A UN Peacekeeping woman personnel from India interacting with local people in South Sudan on November  12, 2025 (Photo: UN Peacekeeping mission)

Representational image (Photo: Shutterstock)

From aircraft to spacecraft components, India's aerospace sector has rebounded sharply, with Gulf nations emerging as top buyers

Representational image

The complex technology behind the fighter jet engines is guarded fiercely but India can draw lessons from its domestically built one

A Kaveri derivate engine at the Aero India show in Bengaluru in February 2021 (Photo: Shutterstock)

It weighs about 13 tonnes and its USP is that it will carry precision-guided munitions with warheads

Ghatak, an advanced unmanned combat aerial vehicle (Photo: DRDO)

Future battlefields will require on-site processing hardware and capabilities at the frontline, says a senior Army officer

Difference between conventional AI model and AI in the box (Imaging: Ajaya Kumar Mohanty)

It has a range of up to 10 km and its USP is its top-attack capability with an imaging infrared seeker

The NAG Mark 2, third-generation anti-tank guided missile (Photo: DRDO)

Inside the next Defence budget

Holding the frigid ground

A geopolitical history of the Indian Ocean arena

Exploding sleeper cells of the sea

Building a pipeline of world-class defence technologies needs greater coherence among the military, academia and industry

Missing synergy

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What India's Integrated Rocket Force would mean for deterrence, doctrine, and defence

A long shot

Trump's search for a 'grand bargain' with China: How should India respond?

The push for reform will shape the next phase of India's military modernisation

The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd-developed light combat aircraft Tejas Mark 1A after its maiden flight in Nashik on October 17, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

Why 2026 matters

How India must prepare to fight the next war with China

India-Russia relations without illusions

The privately held "big four" may yet land safely, despite the presence of public sector giant HAL in the race

Artist Kuntal Biswas' depiction of the country’s planned indigenous first stealth fighter jet (Photo: Kuntal Biswas)

Taxiing in: India's stealth fighter

India's gambit for the Indo-Pacific century

The task demands a fusion of strategy, infrastructure, and cutting-edge technology to secure territorial sovereignty

Army personnel patrol alongside robotic mules near the LoC on the outskirts of Jammu on October 16 (Photo: PTI)

The 'modern' guarding forces of India's borders

Palestinian officials shed light on the challenges of postwar reconstruction

A man looks out from his damaged apartment at the destruction in his neighbourhood in Gaza City in October (Photo: PTI)

Can Gaza rise from rubble?

Women may be marching perfectly in parades but they are still denied the opportunity to serve in combat roles in the Indian Army

Colonel Sophia Qureshi (right) and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh at an Indian government media briefing on Operation Sindoor in New Delhi on May 10 (Photo: Reuters)

A battle within

Experts caution India on China's Indo-Pacific moves

The Indian guided-missile destroyer INS Kolkata leaves Sydney Harbour after the conclusion of the Malabar naval exercise in Sydney, Australia, on August 22, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)

Battle for the high seas

The public company is betting big on India's second attempt to claim a larger share of global shipbuilding

MDL's present-day-80-acre shipyard originated in a small dry dock in 1774 (Photo: Bhaswar Kumar)

As tides shift, MDL lays new keel

Operation Sindoor revealed how maritime power - not missiles or borders - now defines the next phase of the India-Pakistan rivalry

Pakistan Navy's submarine sails past a naval sailing ship during the sea phase of its 9th Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-25 in the Arabian Sea near Karachi on February 10 (Photo: Reuters)

Hot waters - India and Pakistan flex their muscles in the Arabian Sea

As wars grow faster, smarter, and borderless, India faces a pivotal choice - modernise its doctrine or risk strategic irrelevance

The Indian Army conducts Exercise Divya Drishti in Sikkim to test modern warfare systems (Photo: Indian Army)

Revisiting India's military doctrine

Sudarshan Chakra fuses shield and sword into one doctrine of power, but its broad contours are unclear

The Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza, as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel, on October 9, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)

From Iron Dome to Star Wars, it is now India's turn

modern warfare, artificial intelligence, cyber war, indian warfare, robotics

Indian Army personnel inspect an armed drone during exercise Drone Prahar (Photo: Indian Army)

Old war, new plan: Experts urge policy consolidation on unconventional combat

HAL turns to its past to navigate an uncertain future

National Security Strategy: Framing the first steps in the Indian context

Incremental climbs on the escalation ladder

A combat-capable flying wing UCAV at Malan, underscoring Beijing's push to expand its stealth drone fleet and reshape air power dynamics

The model of a Chinese-made Warrior Eagle Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is displayed before the opening of the Airshow China 2008 Zhuhai, China on November 3, 2008 (Photo: Reuters)

Satellite image reveals China's uncrewed CAV with 137-feet wing span

Explore Blueprint Defence by Business Standard — your authoritative source for analysis on India’s defence sector, military strategy, and global geopolitics. Stay ahead with sharp, policy-driven insights.

Sugata Bose

Shyam Saran

Kanti Bajpai

S B Asthana

Vijay Gokhale

Ajay Darshan Behera

Harsh V Pant

Jawed Ashraf

Inside the next Defence budget

Holding the frigid ground

A geopolitical history of the Indian Ocean arena

Sugata Bose

Exploding sleeper cells of the sea

Missing synergy

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