A Parliamentary Committee has recommended the creation of a separate budget head for research and development in “critical and latest technologies” to accelerate India’s work on futuristic defence systems, including hypersonic missiles, sixth-generation fighter aircraft and supersonic glide weapons.
In its report on Recommendation No. 25, the Committee noted that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is focusing on next-generation military capabilities to keep pace with rapid global advances in defence technology.
The panel said that while the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) represents India’s fifth-generation fighter programme, planning is also underway for sixth-generation fighter jets that will be network-centric and integrated with other military platforms and ground-based systems.
A key focus area identified by the Committee is the development of Supersonic Glide Missile systems, which combine supersonic or hypersonic speeds with the ability to glide and manoeuvre after launch. According to the report, these characteristics make such weapons extremely difficult to detect and intercept.
The Committee stressed that indigenous research and development in glide missile technology would significantly boost India’s strategic preparedness and operational flexibility in an era of network-centric and cloud-enabled warfare. It recommended adequate funding, time-bound development milestones and the creation of robust testing infrastructure to support these programmes.
To prevent funding bottlenecks, the panel proposed a dedicated budget allocation for critical and emerging technologies, saying this would help ensure priority treatment and timely execution of strategic defence projects.
The Committee also noted that strengthening domestic capabilities in these areas would advance India’s goal of technological self-reliance while complementing future defence platforms, including next-generation combat aircraft and unmanned systems.
The Ministry of Defence informed the panel that DRDO’s work on hypersonic technologies is progressing.
“Hypersonic Weapons/Missiles offer significant advantages as they travel at high speeds of Mach 5+ and at low altitudes. They are also highly manoeuvrable making them nearly impossible to intercept with current defence systems,” the government stated.
The ministry further said hypersonic weapons drastically reduce an adversary’s decision and reaction time, enable surprise attacks from unexpected directions and harness immense kinetic energy to penetrate and destroy hardened targets.
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