The Changing Nature of Warfare: A Wake-Up Call for India's Defence Modernization
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Science and Technology (Defence Technology - Drones, Hypersonic weapons, AI in defence), Current Events of National and International Importance.
Mains:
GS Paper 3: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Indigenization of technology and developing new technology; Security challenges and their management in border areas; various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.
Key Highlights from the News
The article argues that the nature of warfare is fundamentally changing, and the world is entering a new era of technological warfare.
The Russia-Ukraine war, conflicts in the Middle East, and recent India-Pakistan conflicts all illustrate this change.
Key features of modern warfare include the widespread use of drones, loitering munitions, network-centric warfare, the use of cyber and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and hypersonic weapons.
The article warns that India needs to rapidly adjust its defence modernization plans to suit this new scenario.
Indigenous weapons manufacturing, especially of aircraft and missiles, is lagging.
China is mass-producing fifth-generation fighter jets indigenously and is preparing to build sixth-generation aircraft.
However, India still relies on purchasing Rafale aircraft from France and on existing indigenous production. This may not be sufficient for future challenges.
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