Reforms for Atmanirbharta in Indian Naval Aviation

About the Monograph

This monograph deliberates on reforms for achieving self-reliance in naval aviation. Indian Navy (IN) is at the cusp of transforming from a ‘buyers navy’ to a ‘builder navy’ in ship and submarine building; however, self-reliance in aviation remains a missing link. IN’s withdrawal from LCA Mk-1 (Navy), LCA Mk-2 (Navy), non-approval of TEDBF and lack of participation of IN in Naval AMCA has brought its Carrier Based Fighter (CBF) program to a stalemate. The incoherences in the self-reliance trajectory of CBF extends to Maritime Reconnaissance (MR), Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft, helicopters and UAVs. The structures, policies and initiatives need re-orientation/ reforms for naval aviation self-reliance. The proposed apex level structural and execution level policy reforms are aimed at bringing synergy, accountability and expediting decision making. Also, elevating naval aviation self-reliance trajectory from subsystems level to platform and systems level development initiatives can be a stimulant for change. In addition, measures for mitigating aero engine vulnerabilities, scientific mechanism for Indigenous Content (IC) validation, factoring impact of ToT and imports, and spiral development approach are essential prerequisites for Atmanirbharta in Indian Naval Aviation.

About the Author

Group Captain (Dr.) Rajiv Kumar Narang, Vayu Sena Medal (Retd.) is Senior Fellow at the MP-IDSA. He is former Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter pilot, qualified Flight Safety and Accident Investigator, and holder of CHPL. He is an alumnus of the 57 DSSC, Wellington, India, and PhD in International Relations. He was awarded Vayu Sena Medal in 2000.
He has authored a book titled “India’s Quest for UAVs and Challenges”. He worked as Research/ Senior Fellow at Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS) between 2014 & 2019 and Director, Strategic Initiatives at Drone Federation of India between 2021 to 2023. He was a member of Drone Working Sub Group, Department of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in 2020-21 and High Power Steering Committee (HPSC) of Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) in 2021 & 2022. He authored the HQ IDS-SIDM report titled “A Roadmap for India Becoming Atmanirbhar in Counter Drone Technologies/ Systems” in 2022 and Monograph titled “Military-Civil Technology Fusion (MCTF) for making India Atmanirbhar Global Drone Hub@2030” in 2025.