Can't rely on imported niche tech, warns CDS

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Wednesday warned against dependence on foreign niche technology, adding that Pakistan used unarmed drones and loitering munitions on May 10 during Operation Sindoor but could not inflict any damage on Indian military or civilian infrastructure.

- Rahul Singh

"Most of them were neutralised through a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic means.

And some of them were recovered in almost intact condition," he said at a seminar at the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7 and struck nine terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the April 22 Pahalgam terror strike that killed 26 people.

In his keynote address, the CDS said that Operation Sindoor showed why locally developed unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS built for Indian terrain and Indian needs were crucial.

"We cannot rely on imported niche technologies that are crucial for our offensive and defensive missions; we must invest, build and safeguard ourselves...

Dependence on foreign technologies weakens our preparedness, limits our ability to scale up production, and results in a shortfall of critical spares for sustenance and round-the-clock availability." he said.

"Foreign capability is known to all and adversaries can predict tactics based on the capability of these systems," he added.