Op Sindoor demonstrated India's world-class defence readiness sharpened by Govt's 'Nation First' & 'Forces First' resolve: Raksha Mantri

📌 Summary:

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, at an event in New Delhi on 18 July 2026, described Operation Sindoor as testimony to India's defence preparedness, shaped by sustained sectoral transformation guided by 'Nation First' and 'Forces First'

• Reiterated the Government's 'zero tolerance against terrorism' as a line of action, not merely a statement — India can strike terrorism both at its doorstep and at its source

• Indigenous systems used in the operation: Akash Teer air defence control-and-reporting system, the Akash missile system and BrahMos, alongside other state-of-the-art equipment — showcasing technological warfare

• Indigenisation push: five positive indigenisation lists issued by the Defence Forces covering 509 items, plus five lists by Defence PSUs covering 5,012 items

• Defence innovation: procurement worth over ₹2,400 crore approved from start-ups and MSMEs; ₹1,500 crore of projects sanctioned for new technologies; 676 start-ups and innovators engaged through iDEX with 551 contracts signed

• Defence industrial corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have attracted ₹70,000 crore of proposed investment, of which ₹10,000 crore is already invested

• Targets: defence production of ₹2 lakh crore this year rising to ₹3 lakh crore by 2029; defence exports poised to reach ₹50,000 crore by 2029

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — Internal Security (role of state and non-state actors, terrorism and cross-border security) and Science & Technology (indigenisation, defence R&D); GS3 Economy (defence manufacturing, MSME/start-up ecosystem, industrial corridors).

📝 Prelims Facts:

• BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile developed by the India-Russia joint venture BrahMos Aerospace; named after the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers

• Akash is a short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) developed by DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP)

• Akashteer is an indigenous automated air-defence control and reporting system developed by BEL for the Indian Army

• iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) was launched in 2018 and is executed by the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO); it funds start-ups and MSMEs via the SPARK/ADITI schemes

• Two Defence Industrial Corridors have been notified — Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

🔑 Key Term: Positive Indigenisation List — a Ministry of Defence notification listing defence items that may only be procured from domestic sources after a specified embargo date, creating assured demand for Indian industry and advancing Aatmanirbharta in defence.