‘Wars of tomorrow will be fought with…’: Rajnath Singh calls on startups create to India’s first defence unicorn

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that the nature of warfare is undergoing a fundamental shift amid the advent of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and advanced technologies such as drones, anti-drone systems, quantum computing and directed-energy weapons.

“The battlefield has changed. The wars of tomorrow will be fought with algorithms, autonomous systems and artificial intelligence,” Singh told innovators and entrepreneurs during the ‘Raksha Navachar Samvaad: Interaction with iDEX Startups’.

He urged startups and innovators to think beyond incremental improvements and develop technologies that redefine warfare.

“We must not remain imitators or followers in technology; we must become the creators and standard-setters for the world,” he asserted.

Singh said defence capital acquisitions from domestic sources have increased from ₹74,000 crore in 2021–22 to ₹1.2 lakh crore in 2024–25, describing it as “a change in mindset from dependence to confidence.”

He said India’s journey towards self-reliance in defence has transformed “from being a slogan to becoming a movement.”

“From policy to practice and from innovation to impact this transformation has been made possible by our innovators, startups, and young entrepreneurs,” Singh said.

Under the government’s Public Procurement Policy, at least 25% of annual procurement is reserved for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), with over 350 items earmarked exclusively for them, he added.

Encouraging startups to aim higher, Singh said that despite India having over 100 unicorns, none are from the defence sector.

“Let the first defence unicorn of India emerge from among you. It will be a matter of pride for the entire nation,” he said, assuring continued government support “from ideation to implementation.”

The minister, meanwhile, lauded the record achievements in defence production worth ₹1.5 lakh crore and exports exceeding ₹23,000 crore in the last financial year.

“You are the architects of a new India that believes in designing, developing and producing for itself,” he told innovators.

Recalling the inception of the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative in 2018, Singh called it a transformational effort that has “democratised defence innovation” by connecting the technological talent of India’s youth with the needs of the Armed Forces. Over 650 startups have emerged as iDEX winners, leading to prototype procurements worth over ₹3,000 crore, he said.

The minister said the new Defence Procurement Manual (DPM-2025) offers assured orders for up to ten years to provide stability for innovators, while changes to the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) are underway to simplify processes and accelerate trials.

“Through iDEX, the Technology Development Fund, Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme and Self-Certification provisions, we are creating a framework where innovation is encouraged, supported and scaled. Our aim is to make India not just a defence manufacturer, but a defence innovator for the world,” Singh said.

The Ministry of Defence, he said, is forging strategic partnerships with the Department of Science & Technology, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, and financial institutions to ensure “end-to-end support” for startups.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan, DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V. Kamat, and Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar were among those present at the event.