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The goal is not to replace every foreign system immediately. It is to ensure that India has greater control over the technology and supply chains that underpin its military might
The S-400 is already an inducted, operational system that gives India a long-range layer in its air-defence network while indigenous systems continue to develop. (Reuters)
There is an apparent contradiction creeping up in India’s defence story. While the country is pushing Atmanirbharta in defence, Russia has made a fresh pitch for five additional S-400 air-defence squadrons in a deal reportedly worth around Rs 50,000 crore, even as New Delhi steps up work on its own long-range air-defence system—Project Kusha.
The development comes months after India cleared plans to procure five more S-400 squadrons following Operation Sindoor, where the Russian-origin air defence system emerged as a key element of India’s layered defence network.
On the surface, the dichotomy is hard to miss: Why take more of a Russian system while India simultaneously tries to build an alternative?
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A closer look, however, reveals that the answer is not that India is choosing imports over self-reliance. It is about time, capability and the transition towards indigenous defence production.
The S-400 is an established system that can strengthen India’s air-defence network now. Project Kusha, meanwhile, is part of the longer-term effort to develop that capability at home. Around them, India is building the wider ecosystem—from missiles and radars to aircraft, warships, drones and the private manufacturing capacity needed to produce them at scale.
Why S-400 If India Wants To Become Self-Reliant?
Because self-reliance is not an overnight switch.
India has immediate operational requirements, with air defence being one of the most critical. The S-400 is already an inducted, operational system that gives India a long-range layer in its air-defence network while indigenous systems continue to develop.
The proposed five additional squadrons would strengthen India’s layered air-defence architecture on both the eastern and western fronts if the deal goes through.
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At the same time, India is developing its own long-range system under Project Kusha. The objective is not simply to replace every foreign system immediately. It is to progressively ensure that India has greater control over the technology, production and supply chains that underpin its military capability.
The Project Kusha Story
The S-400 proposal becomes particularly interesting when viewed alongside Project Kusha.
India is developing a homegrown long-range surface-to-air missile system through the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), designed to provide another high-end layer of the country’s air-defence network.
The indigenous push has gained momentum as India increasingly focuses on long-range missiles, drones, counter-drone systems and other technologies that are becoming central to modern warfare.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address this year, specifically called for India to take leadership in next-generation defence technologies, including hypersonic systems, drones and counter-drone capabilities. He also highlighted work on the indigenous Sudarshan Chakra air-defence system.
The message in his speech was clear—India wants to move from buying advanced weapons to building advanced weapons.
But Atmanirbharta is bigger than one missile system, and this is where the S-400 story connects to the larger defence transformation.
According to government figures, India’s domestic defence production reached a record Rs 1.78 lakh crore in FY2025-26, compared with Rs 46,429 crore in 2014-15, almost a fourfold increase. Defence exports also reached a record Rs 38,424 crore in FY2025-26.
PM Modi has repeatedly linked this expansion to the goal of turning India from a major defence market into a global defence supplier.
The scale of the change is visible in the numbers. According to the government, defence production has risen nearly fourfold over the past decade, while exports have expanded dramatically.
This is why the S-400 should not be viewed in isolation, as one foreign-origin system does not define the direction of an entire defence-industrial strategy.
The Real Goal
The next stage of Atmanirbharta is not simply assembling equipment in India but developing the complete chain of design, research, components, manufacturing, testing, integration, maintenance, upgrades, and exports.
An Indian-made missile containing critical foreign components is a step towards localisation. An Indian-designed missile, built largely through Indian supply chains, maintained domestically and eventually exported is a much deeper form of self-reliance.
This is also why private industry has become increasingly important.
The Ministry of Defence has been opening more space for Indian companies, start-ups and MSMEs to participate in defence production and technology development.
In August, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the transfer of technology for DRDO-developed conventional missile systems to Indian private industry, allowing companies to manufacture these systems at scale. That takes Atmanirbharta from the laboratory to the factory floor.
From DRDO Tech To Private Factories
The decision to transfer missile technologies to domestic industry is significant because defence self-reliance requires scale.
A technology can be successfully developed by a government laboratory and still fall short if the country cannot manufacture it quickly and in large quantities.
Private industry can provide additional production capacity, supply-chain depth and specialised manufacturing capabilities. The government’s broader defence strategy has therefore increasingly brought together DRDO research, defence PSUs, private defence companies, start-ups, MSMEs, academic institutions, and foreign technology partnerships.
The aim is to create an ecosystem rather than rely on one organisation or one supplier.
The government’s own data shows the private sector’s contribution to defence production rising, reaching around Rs 42,000 crore in FY2025-26, or roughly 24 per cent of total production.
Foreign ≠ Opposite of Atmanirbharta
This may be the most important point.
India’s defence self-reliance strategy does not mean shutting the door on foreign technology. Instead, foreign partnerships can be used to build domestic capabilities.
The C-295 programme is one example. The aircraft programme has involved manufacturing in India, expanding the country’s aerospace production capabilities and supply chain. The Navy’s indigenous warship-building programme provides another example of how domestic manufacturing capacity can grow around increasingly complex military platforms.
The logic is straightforward: If India has to buy technology, can more of that technology be produced, maintained or upgraded in India? That is a very different proposition from simply importing a finished weapon.
The ultimate test of a defence-industrial ecosystem is not only whether it can supply India’s armed forces. It is whether it can compete globally.
India’s defence exports reached Rs 38,424 crore in FY2025-26, up more than 62 per cent from the previous year, according to Defence Ministry data. Both public-sector and private-sector companies contributed to exports.
Indian defence exports now include missiles, artillery systems, naval platforms, drones, electronics and other military equipment. The government has also set its sights on making India a larger global defence supplier.
This changes the meaning of Atmanirbharta to include a key question: Can India design and manufacture systems that other countries want to buy?
From Importer To Ecosystem Builder
An issue brief by the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses describes Atmanirbharta as a broader effort encompassing defence production, innovation and indigenisation, with the aim of strengthening military preparedness while also building industrial and technological capabilities.
India cannot afford capability gaps while waiting for every indigenous system to mature. At the same time, it does not want today’s imports to become tomorrow’s permanent dependence.
The S-400 represents what India can acquire today. Project Kusha represents what India wants to build itself.
That makes the proposed Rs 50,000-crore S-400 deal less a story of imports versus self-reliance and more a snapshot of India’s defence transition.
Quick Answers
Ask News18India’s defence export strategy aims to reach a target of Rs 50,000 crore in exports by 2030, alongside achieving Rs 3 lakh crore in domestic defence production. Some projections suggest the Rs 50,000 crore export target could be met as early as the 2029 financial year. To achieve this, the strategy involves tapping more countries for exports and securing final contracts for major platforms, such as BrahMos missiles, with nations like Indonesia and Vietnam.
Ask News18About the Author
Apoorva Misra is an Associate Editor at News18.com with a keen interest in politics and current affairs. She loves uncovering fresh angles and telling stories through long-form features and explainers…Read More
September 01, 2026, 12:16 IST
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