Air power · India

Air Force Atlas

Fighters and future combat aircraft, air-launched weapons, radar and avionics, and — decisively — the propulsion India does not yet own. Where each platform sits on the imported-to-indigenous ladder.

19 systems10 industry entities4 programmes6 dependencies58% indigenousUpdated 7 Sept 2026

Systems & platforms

19

mapped with lifecycle & origin

Industry entities

10

PSUs, JVs, private & foreign OEMs

Programmes

4

procurement, policy & indigenisation

Dependencies

6

scored industrial/technology gaps

Indigenous share

58%

of systems, by design origin

The decisive gap · Propulsion

Aircraft engines remain India's highest-value strategic industrial gap. A platform assembled in India is not sovereign while its engine is imported — this Atlas keeps the two separate.

GE AerospaceImported

GE F404-GE-IN20 engine for LCA Mk1AImportedTracked

GE F414 / India manufacturing pathwayTechnology-transfer pathwayDevelopment

Military propulsionMixed Indian + foreign

Military turbofan enginesMixed Indian + foreign

SafranImported

critical LCA Tejas Mk1A depends on GE F404-GE-IN20 engine for LCA Mk1A S17

critical LCA Tejas Mk2 depends on Military turbofan engines S18

Indigenisation ladder

Indigenous (Indian design)8

Indigenous subsystem3

Licensed / assembled in India6

Technology-transfer pathway1

Imported1

Classified from country of origin. A platform built in India from a foreign design is shown as licensed/assembled — not indigenous.

Procurement & lifecycle pipeline

AoN (Acceptance of Necessity)7
Operational6
Development6
Tracked1
In production1
Policy1
Contracted1

Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) is kept distinct from a signed contract — an AoN is a demand approval, not an order.

Capability domains · 16

Emerging industrial opportunities · 4

Counter Uas S06 S07
Layered low-cost detection, RF sensing, EO/IR, command-and-control and effectors are expanding as a recurring procurement need.
Avionics S17
LCA Mk1A localisation demonstrates a widening Indian avionics/content base, but advanced sensors and mission systems remain a strategic growth area.
Propulsion S17 S18
Aircraft engine dependence remains one of the highest-value strategic industrial gaps; future manufacturing and technology-transfer pathways are therefore high-priority.
Mro S18
Growing indigenous aircraft and naval aviation fleets create long-duration demand for engine, sensor, weapon and airframe MRO.

One graph, not three directories. Every system, company and programme is a node in a single relationship-driven database — a supplier that serves the Army, Navy and Air Force appears once and is reached from each. Facts carry their primary source; draft policy (e.g. DAP 2026) is labelled as draft, not law. Methodology

Browse

Every system, company & domain

Capability domains (16)

Fighter 7Air Defence 3Aircraft Engine 2Other 2Propulsion 2Air To Air Missile 1Air To Surface 1Anti Radiation 1Communications 1Counter Uas 1Electronic Warfare 1High Altitude Pseudo Satellite 1Materials 1Precision Strike 1Radar 1Sensors 1

Systems & platforms (19)

Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH)Air-Ship Based High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (AS-HAPS)Akash Weapon System AMCA Astra air-to-air missile family GE F404-GE-IN20 engine for LCA Mk1A GE F414 / India manufacturing pathway IAF War-Fighting Capability Enhancement Proposals LCA Tejas Mk1A LCA Tejas Mk2 Mirage 2000 MRSAM Multi Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) / Rafale Rafale RudraM-II Su-30MKI TARA Glide Weapon UTTAM AESA Radar VSHORADS

Industry (10)

Airbus Bharat Dynamics Limited Bharat Electronics Limited BrahMos Aerospace Dassault Aviation GE Aerospace Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Lockheed Martin Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited Safran

Air Force Atlas — value chain, scored

0 import-dependent to 5 sovereign. Aug 2026 research pack; each layer traces to a sourced record.

Combat aircraft (fighters)2 · Emergingmaps to Manufacturing & Integration

Tejas Mk1A production constrained by engines; Mk2/AMCA path advancing; Rafale fleet 36 in service with MRFA expansion under negotiation.

Military turbofan engines0 · Import-dependentmaps to Equipment & Capital Goods

F404 for Mk1A, F414 for Mk2/AMCA Mk1 — critical single-source dependency; ToT unresolved.

Long-range ground-based AD2 · Emergingmaps to Manufacturing & Integration

S-400 original five regiments nearing completion 2026; additional sets AoN; indigenous Akash-NG/QRSAM shared with Army.

Air-launched weapons (BVR / PGMs)3 · Partialmaps to Components & Inputs

Astra Mk1/Mk2 path; private industry opening for Mk2 production; Meteor on Rafale; integration of Astra on Rafale planned ~2028.

AESA / EW / avionics2 · Emergingmaps to Components & Inputs

Uttam AESA GaN path; foreign suites still on imported fighters; EW mixed.

Tactical transport (link)3 · Partialmaps to Manufacturing & Integration

C295 India-build under Military Aerospace Atlas; first India-assembled delivery 2026.

What changed

2026-09-07DAC AoN: IAF war-fighting capability proposals + GBMPJair force
Various proposals to enhance the war-fighting capability of fighters, transports and helicopters accorded AoN; Ground-Based Multi-Purpose Jammer (GBMPJ) approval also accorded (service attribution not explicit in the release). Part of the 7 September 2026 DAC package (~₹1,10,000 crore; ~98% of procurements from Indian industry, aggregate).
2026-05+AMCA private shortlist RFPair force
Three private-led teams shortlisted; prototype award expected early 2027 (cross-link Military Aerospace).
2026MRFA / additional Rafale pathair force
DAC AoN for additional Rafales under MRFA; France submitted detailed proposal for ~114 aircraft (mix flyaway + India production); negotiations ongoing.
2026Tejas Mk1A still engine-constrainedair force
F404 deliveries resumed after multi-year delay; programme remains >2 years behind original schedule.
2026S-400 fourth regiment delivery; fifth by end-2026/2027air force
Fourth regimental set deliveries underway 2026; original five-regiment contract completion targeted; additional five sets AoN.
2026Astra Mk2 private production openingair force
DRDO programme opening serial production to private firms (TASL, Bharat Forge, Mahindra cited); Rafale integration trials targeted ~2028.

Track this ecosystem

Get an email when the Air Force Atlas and our defence research are updated.

The rest of Defence

Defence & Dual-Use — overview Army Atlas Navy + Coast Guard Atlas Air Force Atlas High-Altitude Defence Atlas Military Aerospace Atlas Unmanned Systems Atlas