The CATS Warrior full-scale demonstrator, which underwent its first engine ground test in January 2025. Photo: HAL

India has already conducted an engine ground run of its CATS Warrior

Global powers eyeing combat-effectiveness with AI-based UCAVs

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Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi speaks during the 52nd National Management Convention, at Hotel Taj Palace, in New Delhi, Tuesday, September 9, 2025 (Photo: PTI)

India's security and economic growth depend on leadership, indigenous innovation and coordinated response to challenges, he says

Land remains 'currency of victory' in wars: Army chief Gen Dwivedi

An image captured by the Indian remote-sensing satellite Cartosat2, developed by Isro, shows key areas in and around the Kumbh Mela in 2019 (Photo: ISRO)

The PSLV-C48 rocket carrying the RISAT-2BR1 satellite (Photo: ISRO)

Accessing and securing a position in orbit will be vital for future operations, sources say

Expanded space systems to secure the high ground

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

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

HAL turns to its past to navigate an uncertain future

Representational image (Photo: Shutterstock)

The success of the joint project by IIT Delhi and the DRDO marks a breakthrough in quantum and defence technology, paving the way for ultra-secure and real-time communication systems

A new feat in secure communications

Blueprint, India-US relations, Donald Trump, Narendra Modi

An Indian Navy P-8I maritime patrol aircraft

India-US relations, Donald Trump, PM Modi

India plans to acquire US-made Javelin missiles and is eyeing a larger coproductiondeal under the Make inIndia initiative with Raytheonand Lockheed Martin (Photo: Reuters)

US-made Stryker combat vehicles during a patrol.India has explored their acquisition as part of expanding defence cooperation with Washington (Photo: Reuters)

US President Donald Trump's India tariffs could recast bilateral defence relationship

A cooling deal - how tariffs affect the future of India-US strategic ties

High-altitude testing of Akash Prime, a surface-to-air missile (Photo: DRDO)

Akash Prime missile: India's strategic upgrade for high-altitude air defence

A supersonic streak across the Himalayan sky

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

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

An Indian Army Arjun main battle tank operates alongside a Rudra attack helicopter during a military exercise (Photo: Indian Army)

The CATS Warrior full-scale demonstrator, which underwent its first engine ground test in January (Photo: HAL)

An aerial view of the ideaForge Switch UAV, an all-terrain drone used by the Indian armed forces for surveillance and reconnaissance missions (Photo: Ideaforge)

An Indian Air Force (IAF) Israeli-origin Phalcon airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft (Photo: IAF)

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

Representational image (Imaging: Ajaya Mohanty)

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

A drone being tested during a military exercise (Photo: Indian Army)

The Arcv Mule—an agile, durable, all-weather ground robot for defence applications (Photo: Aero Arc)

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

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

The Netra, an airborne early warning and control system has been developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation for surveillance, tracking, identification and classification of aerial and sea-surface targets. Photo: DRDO

The Netra, an airborne early warning and control system has been developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation for surveillance, tracking, identification and classification of aerial and sea-surface targets. Photo: DRDO

The Netra, an airborne early warning and control system has been developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation for surveillance, tracking, identification and classification of aerial and sea-surface targets. The information from

The Netra, an airborne early warning and control system has been developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation for surveillance, tracking, identification and classification of aerial and sea-surface targets. The information from

The short-to-medium range surface-to-air missile Pechora being fired towards a target at an undisclosed test-firing range in India

indian military, indian army, defence, army

An Indian Air Force Rafale fighter jet taking off during an exercise in an undisclosed location in India

A surface-to-surface missile being fired from an Indian Navy ship in the Arabian Sea during a live-fire drill in the days before Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7

An Indian Air Force Rafale fighter jet taking off during an exercise in an undisclosed location in India. Photo: IAF

BMP-2, a mechanised amphibious infantry combat vehicle of the Indian Army during a training exercise in the Thar desert in 2024

India successfully tested some of its advanced weapons and systems in the four-day conflict with Pakistan. Now, India should bolster its arsenal to raise its military profile, experts say

Beyond May

HAL vs Private defence firms

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL's) Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand, an indigenous platform that has been ordered for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force

ES Tunis vs Chelsea

DPSU vs private defence firms by budgetary allocation	(~ cr)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flags off 51st K9 VAJRA-T gun on January 16, 2020. The tracked heavy artillery has already been deployed along the Line of Actual Control

HAL vs private defence firms by contract value

An Indian Navy Project–75, Kalvari-Class submarine deployed at sea. Six are currently operational, with three follow-on vessels slated for production

The country has one of the largest defence-industrial bases in the developing world: 16 DPSUs, over 430 licensed companies, about 16,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises, and 46 DRDO labs

Why India's defence-industrial ecosystem remains in the State's hands

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