Aatmanirbhar Defence

Story hook

It is 2 February 2022, Bengaluru, Aero India show grounds. PM Modi unveils HAL Tejas Mk-1A — the upgraded Light Combat Aircraft — with the Indian Air Force having placed an order for 83 aircraft worth Rs. 48,000 crore the previous year. Across the apron sits the Made-in-India INS Vikrant (commissioned 2 September 2022 by PM Modi at Cochin Shipyard) — the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier, 76% indigenous content, 23,000 tonnes, Rs. 20,000 crore, 13 years in build. Beside it, an iDEX startup demonstrates a counter-drone system that took **18 months

• Rs. 3 crore** to build.

This is Aatmanirbhar Defence — the most ambitious indigenisation push since 1962 (post-China war defence build-up). Defence exports, near zero a decade ago, hit Rs. 21,083 crore in FY24 — a 31x jump from FY15. Domestic procurement crossed 75% of total capital acquisitions by 2024.

But the story is also incomplete. India still imports T-90 tanks from Russia, Rafales from France, S-400 systems from Russia, and AK-203 rifles through a JV. The Tejas Mk-2 + AMCA + LCH Prachand + Astra Mk-2 + Nag + Akash NG pipeline is still maturing.

For UPSC, Aatmanirbhar Defence is the GS-III economics-meets-internal- security topic that examiners love. The 5 Positive Indigenisation Lists, iDEX, DPSU corporatisation, DPP/DAP, and defence exports form a coherent ecosystem that you must be able to narrate.

Why this matters for UPSC

This topic has been asked across Mains 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024 in overlapping framings (self-reliance, MSME role, technology transfer). Prelims tests factual anchors (Positive Lists count, iDEX year, SRIJAN portal). Interview boards probe import dependence, technology indigenisation vs assembly-line indigenisation, and comparative analysis with China, South Korea, Israel.