Defense industry must work on future tech, hypersonic weapons: IAF chief

The Indian defence industry needs to work on advanced directed energy and hypersonic weapons, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said on Tuesday and stressed that it is time for the IAF to become an “aerospace force”. Giving the inaugural address at the ‘PHDCCI DEF X TECH INDIA 2023’, he also emphasised adopting future technologies and said wars in the future will be fought on land, air and sea as well as in space. The weapons of the country, when it completes 100 years of Independence, will be different, the IAF chief said and added that weapons such as directed energy and hypersonic weapons have already been “tested and employed” by other nations.
“The weapons of India at 100 would look very different from weapons of India at 75. Directed energy weapons (DEWs) and hypersonic weapons have already been tested and employed. DEWs, particularly lasers, provide significant advantages over traditional weapons such as precision engagement, low-cost per shot, logistical benefits and low detectability,” he said.
“Our defence industries need to further the development of these weapons and also integrate them onto airborne platforms to get desired ranges and accuracy,” the IAF chief said.