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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday inaugurated an Advanced Weapon System Complex at the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad, underlining the Centre’s push to strengthen indigenous missile and air defence capabilities.
The facility, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex, developed by the Missile Systems and Strategic Systems Cluster of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is expected to support next-generation weapon development as India accelerates efforts toward strategic autonomy in critical defence technologies.
During his address, Singh said the performance of indigenous systems during Operation Sindoor demonstrated the maturity of India’s defence research ecosystem and its growing operational reliability. He cited platforms such as the Akash missile system and the BrahMos missile, saying their effectiveness in real operational conditions reflected India’s ability to compete in the global defence technology landscape.
“Strength is essential for peace, and self-reliance is the most reliable foundation for that strength,” Singh said, crediting DRDO’s work in advancing indigenous capability across multiple domains.
A major focus of the Defence Minister’s remarks was air defence preparedness and its evolving role in modern warfare. Referring to recent global conflicts, he stressed that integrated air defence systems had become central to national security doctrines worldwide. He said India’s experience in Operation Sindoor had reaffirmed the importance of layered protection against aerial threats.
“When aerial threats loomed over borders, our air defence system completely thwarted the enemy’s intentions,” he said.
Singh also reiterated the government’s plan to develop a comprehensive multi-layered missile defence architecture under Mission Sudarshan Chakra, a programme announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 2025 Independence Day address. The proposed system, he said, would mark a major leap in India’s strategic defence posture.
“Mission Sudarshan Chakra will be a multi-level missile defence system of modern India. It will not only protect military installations and critical infrastructure but also ensure the safety of civil infrastructure and key establishments,” Singh said. He added that the system would be designed with three layers of protection to ensure rapid response while minimising disruption to civilian life.
According to him, the objective is to create a nationwide protective shield capable of both deterrence and decisive response. “It is a system designed to provide a robust protective shield for all assets of vital importance,” he said.
The Defence Minister also flagged the rapidly changing nature of warfare, noting the growing roles of precision strike systems, integrated air defence networks, hypersonic weapons, autonomous platforms, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare, and advanced sensor technologies. He said these developments were reshaping battlefield dynamics and demanding faster adaptation from defence establishments.
Describing the global security environment as “fluid and uncertain,” Singh said traditional assumptions were weakening while new alignments and challenges were emerging. In such a scenario, he emphasised the need for both resilience and deterrence.
“Resilience is the capacity to absorb shocks and recover quickly, while deterrence is the ability to instil fear in the mind of an aggressor that any hostile action will be met with a strong response,” he said.
The inauguration of the complex is seen as part of DRDO’s broader effort to expand indigenous research and production infrastructure in missile technologies, as India seeks to deepen self-reliance in critical defence systems amid a rapidly evolving security landscape.
Team BharatShakti
