Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said that any delay in developing defense technology effectively denies the military the capability it needs.
The warning emphasizes the urgency of India's self-reliance goals, as slow development cycles risk leaving the Indian Air Force with obsolete equipment while global adversaries advance.
Singh said that the pursuit of Atmanirbharta, or self-reliance, must happen at a pace that matches current global shifts. He said that building homegrown technology and conducting extensive research and development within India is essential for the service to remain relevant.
According to Singh, the speed of innovation is the primary metric for success. He said that if the design and development process takes too long, the world may move to a new technology before the domestic version is even deployed.
"If you are growing at a speed that by the time you design and develop something, the world has moved over to a new technology, then that has no meaning," Singh said.
He said that the military cannot afford a gap between the conception of a tool and its operational deployment. The IAF chief said that the only way to avoid this obsolescence is to accelerate the internal R&D pipeline, ensuring that the speed of growth matches the speed of relevance.
"It is very important to build homegrown technology and do a lot of research and development at home," Singh said. "So according to me, any technology delayed is technology denied."
“"Any technology delayed is technology denied."”
This statement reflects a strategic pivot within the Indian defense establishment to move beyond mere 'indigenization' toward 'innovation.' By linking the speed of development to operational relevance, Singh is signaling that the traditional, slow pace of state-led defense procurement may no longer be viable in an era of rapid technological leaps in aerospace and electronic warfare.
