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The proposed “Make in India” lifecycle for Safran’s M88 fighter engine, coupled with plans to jointly develop a 120–140 kN class engine for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), represents one of the most ambitious industrial transformations in India’s aerospace sector. The initiative goes far beyond licensed assembly and aims to establish an end-to-end manufacturing ecosystem capable of designing, producing, maintaining, and upgrading advanced military turbofan engines within India.

India has made significant progress in developing indigenous aerospace propulsion technologies, including advancements in combustor design, fuel management, and materials research. However, the engine core—comprising the High-Pressure Compressor (HPC) and the High-Pressure Turbine (HPT)—continues to represent the most difficult technological barrier in achieving complete jet engine sovereignty. For modern fighter engines, the engine core is the true measure of technological maturity.

Amid growing concerns over vulnerabilities linked to Chinese-origin components in military drones, India’s Ministry of Defence has unveiled a comprehensive draft drone security framework aimed at hardening unmanned systems against cyber and electronic threats. The framework, prepared by the Army Design Bureau (ADB), marks a significant step toward securing the country’s rapidly expanding fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Astra Mk2 is shaping up to be one of India’s most significant air combat developments in decades. With an expected engagement range of approximately 220-240 kilometres, the indigenous missile is set to move the Indian Air Force (IAF) beyond the traditional medium-range category into the exclusive club of nations fielding very long-range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles (BVRAAMs).

The Indian Air Force’s ambitious Super-30 upgrade programme for the Su-30MKI is expected to do far more than enhance India’s frontline fighter fleet. Once the programme enters large-scale induction around the early 2030s, it could create one of the biggest export opportunities ever for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), allowing the company to offer comprehensive upgrade packages to operators of ageing Su-30 variants across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Astra Mk3 is widely expected to become India’s first indigenous Very Long-Range Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (VLRBVRAAM), offering the Indian Air Force (IAF) a highly capable and significantly more affordable alternative to imported long-range air-to-air missiles.

The idea of converting India’s Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) into an air-to-surface missile (ASM) is technically plausible, but operationally unnecessary given the Indian Air Force’s existing and evolving missile inventory. From an engineering standpoint, the transformation follows a well-established precedent where air defence missiles have been repurposed into strike weapons, yet India’s current ecosystem already covers most of the roles such a conversion would aim to fill.

Even as the Indian Navy inducted its sixth advanced stealth frigate on Saturday, concerns remain regarding its plans to expand the fleet to 200 warships by 2035. The Navy’s proposal to acquire eight Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) under Project 28A seems to have run into heavy weather at the last minute. Despite the bidding process for the NGCs being completed, a final nod is awaited from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

ISRO’s SE-2000 semi-cryogenic engine reached 88% of its 200-tonne thrust goal, validating stable performance in a critical subsystem trial. The engine’s efficiency and thrust will boost payload capacity for human spaceflight, space station modules, and deep-space missions. ISRO plans a full-thrust firing and aims for an upgraded LVM3 flight in 2027 to support ambitious future missions. The improved thrust from the SE-2000 engine will enable the launch of heavier crewed modules.

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan on Saturday asserted that the force is “self-reliant and adaptive” while mentioning that most of the modern technologies required by the Navy is today ‘Made in India’. During an exclusive interaction with IANS after the commissioning ceremony of INS Mahendragiri into the Indian Navy in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam, Swaminathan said: “The Indian Navy today has received a very potent and highly significant value addition to its fleet.