India is advancing its defence self-reliance efforts by involving private industry in missile production. On Tuesday, August 27, 2026, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the transfer of technologies developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to Indian defence companies for domestic manufacturing of all conventional missile systems.

This initiative is part of New Delhi's Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) campaign, which seeks to strengthen the country's defence manufacturing sector and decrease reliance on foreign suppliers. The move also aims to boost India's defence export capacity and enhance deterrence against regional rivals Pakistan and China.

However, analysts caution that achieving full self-reliance remains a distant goal. Gaurav Kumar, a researcher at the United Service Institution of India, a defence think tank, noted the complexity of missile production, which integrates propulsion, electronics, and software into compact systems requiring flawless operation. Kumar added, "India’s private firms have the money and the factories, but they’ve never built a full missile on their own."

The missile supply chain still depends on imported components, and private companies have yet to demonstrate the capability to independently produce complex weapons soon.

Sources