DRDO Eyes Next-Gen Electronic Warfare to Propel India as Global Defence Leader: DRDO DG

By R Anil Kumar

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is making significant strides in electronic warfare and the creation of homegrown fighter jets.

• Key priorities include achieving spectrum dominance and fostering self-reliance in defense technology. Innovative fields like photonics and quantum computing are being investigated for future applications

Bengaluru, January 20, 2026. The DRDO is focusing on next-generation electronic warfare technologies, spectrum dominance, and indigenous fighter aircraft programmes, with a strong emphasis on self-reliance and future warfare domains, its Director General (Electronics and Communication Systems), B K Das, said.

Speaking to Doordarshan (R Anil Kumar) on the sidelines of the Electronic Warfare Conference-India (EWCI- 2026), Das said the event aimed to bring together all stakeholders in electronic warfare-including industry, academia and research institutions-to work towards a common objective in a rapidly evolving conflict domain.

“The main focus is to bring together the entire electronic warfare ecosystem of the country-industry, academia and research institutions-to work towards a common cause in this emerging domain of warfare,” he said.

Das said global participation and indigenous technology development under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative were gaining momentum.

On future projects, he stated that the DRDO was working on advanced technologies that would redefine warfare in the coming decades.

“The futuristic focus areas include spectrum dominance with cognitive learning, along with new technologies such as photonics and quantum technologies,” he said, adding that these would provide flexibility, agility and decisive power in electronic warfare.

Photonics is the science and technology of light that focuses on the generation, manipulation, detection and use of photons, integrating optics and electronics to enable breakthroughs in telecommunications, medicine, computing and other advanced technologies.

On the budgetary support, Das said funding had never been a constraint for DRDO.

“The budget has never been an issue for DRDO. We have always been well supported by the ministry,” he said, adding that the focus remained on cutting-edge technologies to make India a global defence technology leader by 2047.

Speaking on indigenous fighter aircraft programmes, Das said India must dominate the skies with platforms, weapons and sensors developed domestically.

“India has to reign the skies. The fighter aircraft must be of our own-powered by indigenous technologies and equipped with indigenous weapons,” he said, noting that the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-1 and Mk-1A were ready and describing the current phase as “only the beginning.”

He said work was progressing on the Mk-2 variant and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), underlining the importance of stealth in modern aerial combat.

“If you want to dominate the sky, stealth (aircraft) is the way forward,” he said, adding that the AMCA project had been sanctioned and was being pursued jointly by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and DRDO.

Das also highlighted progress in indigenous sensors and weapon systems, saying the Uttam Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar had proven its capabilities.

“We are developing our radar. The Uttam AESA radar has proven to be among the best, and in many aspects better than the best across the world,” he said.

He added that the radar, along with jammers, weapon systems and missiles, was ready for integration with fighter platforms.

Outlining timelines, Das said the LCA Mk-1 was ready, Mk-1A deliveries would proceed as per schedule, the Mk-2 would roll out in three to four years, followed by the AMCA, enabling India to field fully indigenous fighter aircraft.

Earlier, Speaking during the Inaugural programme of EWCI-2026, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, AVSM, VM, VSM, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CIDS), said, in the age of digital warfare, the more important battles are fought in an invisible place: the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS), Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, which can intercept, disrupt and change communications and radar signals, are now just as important to national defence, as tanks, missiles and fighter jets.

The rise of new threats like drones, hypersonic missiles and cyber-electromagnetic attacks are all making the Armed Forces speed up the process of improving their Electronic capabilities, he stated. The recent confrontation between India and Pakistan in May 2025, demonstrated how Electronic Warfare has fundamentally transformed conventional conflict into digital warfare. Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7, 2025, in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack of April 22, 2025, showcased the critical role of electromagnetic spectrum control in modern warfare, Dixit said.

This conflict represented the first major deployment of sophisticated Electronic Warfare systems, establishing new paradigms for regional military engagement and revealing the growing importance of EW capabilities in determining battlefield outcomes. he added.

BEL CMD, Manoj Jain, speaking on the occasion said EW development is no longer just a defence need; it’s a big chance for the country’s electronics and semiconductor industry, system integrators and tech startups to grow.

EW systems give people in the electronics industry new chances in hardware, software, integration and lifecycle support.

There is a lot of demand for high performance RF amplifier, low noise receivers, microwave monolithic integrated circuits (MMICs) and signal processors. Indian Chip design companies can focus on making specialised defence-grade chips, he said.

The EW is just as important as land, sea and air. Whoever has control over it has control over the battlefield. We need to take advantage of India’s industry right now because it can make world class EW solutions, CMD Jain said. Our goal is to add AI and ML to EW so that they can change on their own in areas where there is competition. This changes the game for being ready to face any Challenges, Jain added.