“India Must Aggressively Promote Homegrown Defence Tech”

ANKIT MEHTA, Co-founder and CEO, ideaForge, in this interview with BW Businessworld's Resham Suhail, shares insights on defence exports, deep-tech capital, policy gaps, growth plans, India's potential as a global drone powerhouse, and more. Excerpts

- ANKIT MEHTA

What will we see coming up in the drone industry in the next few months?

This recent conflict may again act as a catalyst for enhancing our ability to defend against this technology. This moment will likely galvanise interest across the full spectrum of drone technologies. We'll see procurement efforts reflect this. Some drones will be designed strictly for conflict use, say, precision strikes. Others will operate during peacetime, focused on gathering intelligence. We may even induct multi-role assets that can switch between surveillance and precision payload delivery. Drone technology is incredibly diverse. Drones can range from the size of your palm to large runway-launched systems, operating from mean sea level up to the stratosphere. Each type of drone serves a specific echelon of our armed forces and is suited for distinct missions. I expect we'll see extensive procurement across all these sectors.

Given the growing emphasis on indigenous defence innovation, how ready is India to stand on its own in defence tech? Apart from drones, what other technologies should be looked at?

Drones are accompanied by a ton of sensors and end-effect capabilities. So, innovation is also needed in the payloads drones can carry. Communication systems need to be more resilient, resistant to jamming or capable of operating without GPS altogether. AI-based intelligence systems that adapt to changing field tactics will be critical.