In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Siddharth Mishra, CMD of Bharat Dynamics; JD Patil, whole-time director of defence and smart tech at L&T and defence expert Ajai Shukla discussed the Indian defence sector at length.

First up, Patil said that Indian defence companies with a focus on ‘Aatmanirbhar’ will see good growth going ahead.

He said, “The Indian defence companies with ‘aatmanirbhar’ focus, which the government is shifting dramatically to, we shall see a good amount of growth in terms of opportunities. However, one hassle which always existed was that the government was not spending enough on R&D; it was spending on R&D in the public sector, the government-owned organisation called Defence Research.”

Meanwhile, Mishra said, “Missile technology will remain in force and we are working on short-range missiles and we are working on long-distance surface to surface missiles and these are going to be the future of missile warfare

Bharat Dynamics, said Mishra, is working with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop its own technology related to defence.

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Defence expert Ajai Shukla said that several weapon systems have a high degree of indigenization. He also expects to see a sharp shortfall in raw materials related to defence.

For the entire discussion, watch the accompanying video