General Anil Chauhan, the Chief of Defence Staff of India, made an announcement on Wednesday, stating that the country's armed forces have set aside Rs 25,000 crore, equivalent to $3 billion, to fulfil their defence space needs.
Speaking at the DefSat Conference and Expo organised by SIA-India, General Chauhan encouraged India's private space sector to seize this key opportunity and actively contribute towards having the country achieve self-sufficiency in the rapidly advancing dual-use sector.
He highlighted the essential needs of the armed forces and underscored the industry's vital role in bolstering intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. To accomplish this, he suggested focusing on the advancement of multi-sensor satellites, launch-on-demand services, and a robust network of ground stations.
General Chauhan accentuated the importance of enhancing indigenous positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services by strengthening the NAVIC constellation.
"[The] Indian armed forces cannot remain dependent on foreign constellations for its PNT requirements. PNT services for navigation, synchronisation as well as long-range engagement will require building a secure, reliable and resilient Navic constellation," he stressed.
"Investment towards satellite internet openings, satellites enabling the 5G ecosystem, high throughput satellite and LEO satellites need to be undertaken to provide reliant and resilient coverage," General Chauhan said.