Rajnath Singh says India working towards developing sixth-generation fighter jets

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stated on Sunday that although there will be obstacles in the way of India’s development of sixth-generation fighter jets, the government is constructing capabilities with the warfare of the next 20 years in mind.

In a veiled message to Pakistan, Singh also said that as long as “our neighbouring country persists with a state policy of terrorism, India remains fully free to carry out all forms of strikes against it”. Singh was addressing a session at the NDTV Defence Summit, which was also attended by Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth and other senior officers of the armed forces.

“Today we are in the era of fifth-generation warfare, where, along with land, water and air, cyber, space and the human mind have also become new battlefields. The supply chains are also becoming a new ground of geopolitical conflict. New technologies like drones, artificial intelligence, quantum and hypersonic are changing the shape of the entire defence sector,” he said.

The defense minister emphasized that modern warfare involves many different areas, such as electronic warfare, information warfare, artificial intelligence, drones, autonomous systems, and precise weaponry.

“We recognise that the future landscape of security and the battlefield will be technology-driven. So the nation that leads in technology will hold an advantage on the battlefield. That is why we have emphasised making India’s defence strategy future-ready; our focus today extends beyond the weapons of the present,” he said.

“We are building capabilities with the warfare of the next 10 to 20-25 years in mind. We want India not merely to import technology, but to define it,” Singh said.

The minister underlined that India believes in peace and does not seek to occupy the territory of any country. “However, peace should not be mistaken for weakness,” Singh said. “We seek global stability, but not at the cost of our strategic autonomy. We are firmly committed to safeguarding our security and strategic autonomy when threatened,” he said.

He also highlighted some of the measures taken to prepare the armed forces for the future and the advancements made in the defense sector over the past ten years. “Today, large-scale efforts are underway in India to manufacture everything from aircraft engines to drone engines. India is working towards developing not just fifth-generation fighter jets, but sixth-generation fighter jets as well.

“I am aware that there will be challenges along this path, yet our resolve remains unwavering. India is fully prepared to take a giant leap in defence manufacturing over the next decade,” Singh said. On hypersonic technology, he said, “India has successfully conducted a flight trial of a long-range hypersonic missile. A long-duration scramjet engine has also been tested.”

Highlighting India’s progress towards self-reliance in defence, Singh said, “Our defence exports have grown from ₹686 crore in 2013-14 to a record ₹38,424 crore in 2025-26, reaching more than 100 countries. After achieving the ₹30,000 crore export target last year, India has now set a goal of ₹50,000 crore by 2029.”