Pune (Maharashtra) [India], August 9 : Highlighting India's 'Atmanirbharta' in the Defence sector, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chariman and Secretary of Department of Defence (R&D), Samir V Kamat said on Saturday that Operation Sindoor was declaration of India's ability to stand tall through self-reliance in indigenous technological strength.
While addressing the graduating students of Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) in Pune, Kamat highlighted the recent success of Operation Sindoor.
"India launched Operation Sindoor. This was a highly coordinated, multi-dimensional operation that addressed a high-stakes challenge along our western borders. Without disclosing the operational specifics, I can share with a sense of pride the success of Operation Sindoor was not merely defined by the courage and capability of our soldiers in uniform but also by the technological backbone that supported them with sensors, unmanned platforms, secure communications, AI-based decision support, as well as precision weaponry," he said.
He detailed that the forces deployed indigenous systems such as Akash short-range surface-to-air missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles, BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, the B-4 anti-drone system, the AEW&C (airborne early warning and control) system, the Akashteer system and the C-4I system.
"All of these emerged from our indigenous defence identity community and institutions such as DIT, which also played a crucial role in that development," he noted.
Calling the mission "more than a mission", the DRDO chief described it as "a declaration of India's ability to stand tall through self-reliance, strategic foresight and indigenous technological strength."
He urged the graduates, "It was also a call to the next generation, that is your generation, to keep this momentum going and make India a technology leader in defence technologies."
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, he said, "Our Honourable Prime Minister has given a clarion call to all of us that as a nation we should become a developed nation as well as a technology leader by 2047, and it is up to you to realise the Honourable Prime Minister's vision."
Kamat also cautioned that the nature of warfare is changing rapidly.
He said, "We are now entering an era where the definition of warfare is rapidly expanding. Battles are no longer confined to borders or frontlines. They are fought across domains, land, air, sea, space, cyberspace and even the electromagnetic spectrum. What does this mean for the graduating students of DIAT? It means that you are no longer students of a conventional academic discipline. You are now part of India's defence capability architecture."