On February 16, 2026, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh visited the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) in Bengaluru to review indigenous military gas turbine engine development. He was briefed on projects, interactions with Indian industry, academia and research institutes and on support to the defence forces, and he inspected an exhibition of indigenous engine parts and witnessed a full afterburner test of the Kaveri. He praised GTRE for bolstering national security through self-reliance and called DRDO the foundation of India’s strategic capability.

He underscored the importance of achieving Aatmanirbharta in aero engine technology amid a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape and said every effort was being made to prioritise development in India. He observed that supply chains were breaking and new ecosystems were developing and argued that nations with indigenous critical technologies would remain secure. He urged GTRE to focus on next generation engines by building a nationwide robust ecosystem and referenced work on the design of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.

He characterised aero engine development as an extremely complex endeavour integrating thermodynamics, material science, fluid mechanics and advanced mechanical engineering and noted that even developed nations often take 25 to 30 years to develop next generation engines. He urged Indian scientists to compress timelines in view of strategic needs and said that twenty years had effectively passed and India had only five to seven years left. He emphasised the growing role of artificial intelligence, machine learning and new materials in accelerating development.

He said Operation Sindoor had demonstrated India’s growing Aatmanirbharta in defence as communications, surveillance and attack systems had been indigenous, boosting morale and public pride. He welcomed joint studies with the United Kingdom and France under the National Aero Engine Mission as means to learn technologies and the challenges faced over decades. He highlighted the dual use potential of high temperature composites for civil aviation, power generation and space and called for capitalising on trade and strategic opportunities to build capability.