NEW DELHI: India’s top defence and space leadership has called for urgent development of sovereign and resilient space capabilities, as space emerges as a critical domain in modern warfare. The call came at the Indian Defence Space Symposium (IDS) 2026, organised by the Indian Space Association.

Focus on sovereign, resilient space architecture

In his virtual address, General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, stressed the need for distributed, resilient, and rapidly deployable space systems, highlighting that future capabilities must be co-developed with industry, start-ups, and innovators.

He emphasised that India must move beyond viewing space as a programme to treating it as a continuous operational asset, with a focus on strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty.

Space emerging as decisive warfare domain

Samir V Kamat, Secretary, Defence R&D and Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), noted that space is becoming the dominant domain influencing future conflicts, calling for increased investment in research and development to match global competitors.

Push for indigenous development and integration

Zubin A Minwalla, Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations), highlighted the need for greater private sector participation and indigenous capability building, stating that reliance on a single agency would be suboptimal.

Former Air Chief RKS Bhadauria stressed the importance of technological sovereignty, urging a shift away from legacy processes toward faster execution and innovation.

Industry role and satellite communications

Rahul Vatts, Vice Chairman of ISpA, underlined the role of satellite communications in defence and economic growth, noting that India is at a crucial stage in launching such services and must focus on reliability and security.

Strengthening civil-military synergy

A. K. Bhatt, Director General of ISpA, said that achieving defence space goals will require deep integration between armed forces and industry, with reduced dependence on imports and stronger domestic capabilities.

Key themes and discussions

The first day of the symposium focused on:

• Role of space in modern warfare
• Military use of commercial space technologies
• Space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR)
• Strategic communications and network-centric operations

Three key reports were also released, covering:

• In-space servicing and manufacturing (ISAM)
• AI-driven geospatial intelligence models
• Policy and industry roadmap for India’s space sector

Strategic outlook

With participation from defence forces, policymakers, PSUs, start-ups, and global stakeholders, IDS 2026 is expected to shape India’s long-term defence space strategy, aligning operational needs with industry capabilities.