The private defence sector steps up but structural gaps persist

Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack and set a new paradigm of India’s counterterrorism policy, heralded a new era for India’s arms production. Indigenously designed and/or manufactured defence equipment played a direct and visible role in decimating Pakistani targets besides protecting India’s territory from enemy attacks — something that Prime Minister Narendra Modi proudly acknowledged in his monthly radio address, Mann ki Baat, on May 25. Significantly, lethal war equipment supplied by the Indian private companies played a noticeable role, with loitering munitions and other types of drones playing havoc in the adversary’s