New Delhi: Defense Minister -Rajnath Singh Thursday stressed the urgent need to create a drone production ecosystem in the country to ensure strategic autonomy, enhance defense preparedness and make the country self-reliant in the field in view of the current geopolitical uncertainties.“India must work in mission mode to emerge as a global hub of indigenous drone manufacturing in the next few years,” Rajnath said during the inaugural session of the National Defense Industry Conclave here.He said the ongoing conflicts ranging from Russia-Ukraine to tensions between Iran and Israel are proof that drone and counter-drone technologies will play an important role in future warfare and ‘self-reliance’ in drone manufacturing is essential not only at the product level, but also at the component level.“From the drone mold to its software, engines and batteries, everything must be manufactured in India. This is no easy task. In most countries where drones are manufactured, a significant number of critical components are currently imported from China,” he said.Rajnath said building the defense industrial ecosystem of any country depends on the contribution of large industries, MSMEs, startups and innovators, but it is also driven by a clear policy of the government to meet the specific defense needs of the country. While he called for active contribution from the private sector, he extended full support to the government to transform India into a global hub for indigenous drone manufacturing.The Minister described iDEX (Innovation for Defense Excellence) and ADITI (Accelerating Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX) as game-changer initiatives through which start-ups, innovators and MSMEs are provided the opportunity to develop novel solutions to meet the specific requirements of the Defense Forces.He said that “As of February 2026, 676 startups, MSMEs and individual innovators have joined the defense innovation ecosystem since the inception of iDEX in 2018. Overall, 548 contracts have been signed; and 566 challenges have been launched.” Of these, 58 prototypes have been approved for procurement, worth approximately Rs 3,853 crore, he said.Rajnath said, “Additionally, 45 procurement contracts worth approximately Rs 2,326 crore have already been signed. These figures demonstrate that innovation is gradually translating into tangible products and technologies, and the role played by our startups and MSMEs in this transformation is becoming increasingly strong.”