India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has sharply criticised the country’s defence industry, accusing several companies of misleading the armed forces and undermining national security through missed deadlines and exaggerated claims of indigenisation.
Addressing a seminar in New Delhi, Chauhan said a number of manufacturers had falsely branded largely imported systems as “70% indigenous”, warning that such misrepresentation had eroded trust and left the military without crucial capabilities. He said many firms had over-promised during emergency procurement cycles and repeatedly failed to deliver equipment within agreed time frames.
According to The Print, emergency procurement allows the armed forces to sign contracts of up to INR 3 billion without going through the defence ministry’s lengthy acquisition procedures. Despite this flexibility, Chauhan said Indian companies had still fallen short, often lacking the manufacturing capacity they claimed to possess and relying instead on repackaged foreign material.
He cautioned that these practices posed direct risks to national security, stressing that the services could not be “left in a lurch” when contracted equipment failed to materialise on time. He also criticised inflated pricing and a lack of competitiveness among domestic suppliers.
Chauhan’s remarks stand in contrast to the government’s “Make in India” push, raising questions about the effectiveness of India’s defence-production drive.
In a separate interview with Bloomberg, the CDS acknowledged that India had lost several fighter jets during its recent armed clash with Pakistan. Without revealing exact numbers, he said the mistakes that led to the losses were quickly identified and corrected, allowing the air force to resume long-range operations within days.
The confrontation in May was the most serious military escalation between the two countries in decades. It followed an attack on tourists in IIOJK’s Pahalgam area, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan—an allegation Islamabad denied. India responded with cross-border strikes that killed civilians, prompting Pakistan to launch Operation Bunyanum Marsoos.
During the exchange, Pakistan shot down several Indian aircraft, including Rafale jets, along with multiple drones. After 87 hours of hostilities, the conflict ended on May 10 following a ceasefire deal brokered by the United States.
