- India plans a 15-year defence upgrade with advanced technology and billions in funding
- Army to acquire 1,800 future tanks, 400 light tanks, 50,000 anti-tank missiles, 700 robotic systems
- Navy to add a new aircraft carrier, 10 frigates, 7 corvettes, 4 landing dock platforms, nuclear propulsion
Months after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, the Narendra Modi government has unveiled India's biggest defence upgrade plan since Independence. The Defence Ministry has prepared a 15-year roadmap during which India's armed forces will be transformed through the infusion of billions of dollars and cutting-edge technology.
This roadmap, a copy of which is with NDTV, includes the addition of nuclear-powered warships, next-generation battle tanks, hypersonic missiles, stealth bomber drones, AI-powered weapons, and space-based warfare technology to India's arsenal.
According to this path-breaking vision document, the Army will induct nearly 1,800 future tanks to replace the T-72 fleet, 400 light tanks for mountain warfare, 50,000 tank-mounted anti-tank guided missiles, and over 700 robotic counter-IED systems.
The Navy will get a new aircraft carrier, 10 next-generation frigates, 7 advanced corvettes, and 4 landing dock platforms. Nuclear propulsion for warships has been greenlit, as well as electromagnetic aircraft launch systems.
The Air Force will acquire 75 high-altitude pseudo-satellites, 150 stealth bomber drones, hundreds of precision-guided munitions, and over 100 remotely piloted aircraft.
This is a blueprint for a future-ready force, emphasising AI, autonomy, and space warfare and will be India's answer to 21st-century threats.
This comes months after India launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the cold-blooded murder of 26 innocents in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 21. During Operation Sindoor, India carried out precision strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and targeted terror bases. Despite India's clear message that only terror infrastructure was on its crosshairs, Pakistan fired thousands of drones and rockets targeting civilian areas in India's western sector. Most of these were intercepted by India's air security system. India then targeted Pakistan's military installation, including its key airbases, forcing Islamabad to seek a ceasefire.
This massive defence boost plan, months after India drew a red line, warning Pakistan that any adventurism will attract a heavy cost, signals that India is ready to step up its war against terror and is fortifying itself for any exigency.
