India Working Towards Sixth-Generation Fighter Aircraft - Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India has begun efforts towards developing an advanced sixth-generation fighter aircraft. He acknowledged that the project would involve several challenges but said the country would overcome them with determination. India is strengthening its military capabilities keeping in view the changing nature of warfare over the next two decades, he said. Singh also issued a warning in the context of terrorism, stating that as long as a neighbouring country continues to pursue terrorism as a state policy, India would retain the right to carry out attacks against it. He said the world is currently in an era of fifth-generation warfare.

Land, sea, air, cyber, space and human intelligence have emerged as different domains of warfare, Singh said. Drones, artificial intelligence, quantum technology and hypersonic systems are bringing major changes to the defence sector. Modern warfare now involves electronic and information warfare, AI, drones, autonomous systems and precision weapons, rather than being limited to conventional combat between soldiers, he said. Singh stressed the importance of technological capabilities in future conflicts. India’s defence exports rose from Rs 686 crore in 2013-14 to a record Rs 38,424 crore in FY 2025-26, while the government has set a target of Rs 50,000 crore by 2029.