Defense Conference – Post Conference Notes – Beyond Platforms: Rise of Deep Tech in Indian Defense
Published on 29 Jun 2026
We hosted various industry leaders and management teams at the PL Defense Conference, where the overarching message was that India’s defense ecosystem is entering a structural multi-year growth phase driven by indigenization, deep tech innovation, and rising export opportunities. Discussions highlighted that 75% of defense capital procurement is reserved for domestic sourcing, with the focus shifting from platform assembly to indigenous IP, advanced electronics, AI-enabled systems, semiconductors and mission-critical sub-components. Drones and counter-drone systems emerged as the most significant near-term opportunity, with the domestic drone market expected to reach US$11.1bn by 2030 and procurement potentially increasing from INR20–30bn in the previous cycle to ~INR130bn currently and ~INR300bn in the next cycle. Electronics continues to be viewed as the ‘brain’ of modern warfare, benefiting companies through opportunities in C4ISR, software-defined radios, missile electronics and command-and-control systems, while directed-energy weapons, high-power lasers and autonomous platforms are evolving into new growth verticals.
