India’s defense industry saw major milestones in 2024, a year of transformation marked by improvements in modernization, strategic capabilities, and self-reliance. Here are the main points of interest:
Stability in vulnerable border areas was improved in October 2024 when India and China agreed on the final stage of disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in areas like Depsang and Demchok.
The maiden test flight of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) TEJAS MK-1A took place on March 28, 2024. This aircraft, which has sophisticated radar and combat equipment, is intended to replace the Indian Air Force’s aging MiG fighters. In a contract for ₹36,468 crore, the Indian Air Force has placed an order for 83 aircraft.
India put the second Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, INS Arighaat, into service on August 29, 2024. With this addition, India’s strategic balance in the area is improved and its nuclear deterrent capabilities are strengthened.
Using the Agni-5 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, India successfully completed the maiden flight test of Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRV) in March. After years of development, the MIRV technology was successfully tested by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), placing India on a select group of countries with the capability.
For many years, DRDO scientists have been developing technologies for Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs). The technology enables a single missile, like as the Agni-5, to independently target sites and carry numerous warheads. The DRDO-developed system has high-accuracy sensor packages and in-house avionics systems, which guarantee that the re-entry vehicles arrive at the target locations with the required precision. The Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Agni-V travels into space and then returns to Earth’s atmosphere.
India successfully tested a K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from INS Arighaat in November 2024. With a range of about 3,500 kilometers, this missile is essential to India’s nuclear triad’s second-strike capacity.
An indigenous long-range hypersonic missile that could reach Mach 6 was successfully tested in flight for the first time by India. This put
At INS Garuda, a naval air station and the “cradle of naval aviation” near Kochi, a squadron of MH-60 Romeo helicopters was put into service in March. The Navy’s newest aviation unit, Indian Naval aviation Squadron (INAS) 334, is home to the submarine-hunting MH-60R. The INAS 334 squadron’s commanding commander will be Captain M Abhisheik Ram.
India’s defense output increased 16.7% from the previous year to ₹1,26,887 crore. Additionally, exports increased to ₹21,083 crore.
Following successful high-altitude operational testing, the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand was formally incorporated into the Indian Air Force in February 2024.
In July 2024, the government unveiled a new Positive Indigenization List (PIL) that included 346 essential commodities meant to increase domestic production capacity and lessen dependency on imports.
Capital procurement plans of more than ₹4,22,129 crore were authorized by the Defence procurement Council, with an emphasis on domestic systems to strengthen military capabilities in a variety of fields.
These achievements demonstrate India’s dedication to strengthening its defense capabilities through strategic alliances and domestic development, establishing it as a powerful force on the international defense scene.
s India at the forefront of hypersonic technology worldwide.
The TATA Aircraft Complex, which will manufacture C-295 cargo aircraft at the TATA Advanced Systems Limited Campus in Vadodara, Gujarat, was jointly opened in October 2024 by Prime Minister Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez.
The Indian Air Force’s aging Avro-748 aircraft will be replaced by the modern C-295, a transport aircraft with a 5–10 tonne payload.
India’s Ladakh Reaction To China. In response to the Army’s requirement for a high-altitude light tank to combat China’s ZQ-15 in Ladakh, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) created a light tank in a record two years in July.
