The defence ministry has released the draft Defence Production Policy 2018 (DProP 2018) with the ambitious vision of catapulting India into the world’s top five defence producers. With unusual boldness and clarity, DProP 2018 stipulates 13 areas where India must achieve self-reliance by 2025: Manufacturing fighter aircraft, medium lift and utility helicopters, warships, land combat vehicles, autonomous weapon systems, missile systems, gun systems, small arms, ammunition and explosives, surveillance systems, electronic warfare (EW) systems, communication systems, and night fighting enablers. The policy intends to capitalize on India’s information technology strengths to “make India a global leader in cyberspace and AI (artificial intelligence) technologies”.

(Business Standard)