For years, conversations around military power were dominated by fighter jets, tanks and missiles.
Today, that conversation increasingly includes algorithms, sensors and drones.
And according to Amardeep Singh, founder of defence-tech startup Armory, the battlefield is already changing.
Speaking exclusively to News X after Armory secured a ₹100-crore Ministry of Defence order for its SURGE counter-drone system, Singh described the contract as more than a business milestone. For him, it represents a shift in how India is preparing for future conflicts.
“Conventional military capabilities will always be there,” Singh said. “But AI-powered indigenous systems will work alongside them. The future is not one replacing the other. It is both working together.”
The order for SURGE comes at a time when India is expanding its defence capabilities across multiple fronts, including discussions around the acquisition of 114 Rafale fighter aircraft. Yet Singh believes the next phase of warfare will increasingly be shaped by technologies capable of detecting, tracking and neutralising unmanned threats in real time.
“After Operation Sindoor, things have changed,” he told News X. “The way wars are fought today is completely different from what we saw even a few years ago. Drone interference, drone attacks and unmanned threats have increased significantly. Systems like SURGE are designed for exactly this environment.”
For Singh, the achievement is also deeply personal.
“I always wanted to do something for the country,” he said. “The fact that the Ministry of Defence and the Government of India have placed their trust in us gives immense pride. It is recognition, but more importantly it is responsibility.”
He hopes the success sends a message to India’s startup ecosystem.
“If a young startup has the right technology and commitment, it can contribute directly to national security. That should motivate many more entrepreneurs to enter this space.”
Looking ahead, Armory is already preparing for its next chapter.
The company plans to expand manufacturing, grow its workforce and accelerate work on new indigenous defence technologies. Singh revealed that Armory is developing additional counter-UAS capabilities, including hard-kill solutions, from its R&D centre in Manesar.
“The journey has just begun,” he said.
And if recent conflicts have shown anything, it is that tomorrow’s wars may be fought as much by software as by soldiers.