New Architecture of Defence Electronics: AI, Photonics and Localisation
With nearly two decades of hands-on experience in the Indian defence sector, Naveen Kumar is an accomplished Electronics and Communication Engineer whose career spans leadership roles at premier organizations like Bharat Electronics Limited and Astra Microwave Products Ltd. From system design and technology management to entrepreneurship and consulting, his journey covers the full spectrum of defence electronics, providing a rare insider’s perspective on the forces shaping modern warfare and indigenous innovation in India. This article distils Naveen's unique insights into the technology trends transforming the defence-electronics landscape: the surge in demand for electronic warfare, counter-drone systems, advanced radar, and high-speed digital solutions; the strategic importance of localisation across the value chain; and the untapped potential of photonics and AI-driven cognitive systems. You will find actionable intelligence on where the next wave of growth is headed, which domains offer the most value for localization, and what it really takes to turn breakthrough technology into scalable products. Dive in for a roadmap to the defence-tech opportunities that matter most—and discover why now is the time to engage.
Q1. Based on what you have seen firsthand across defence programs, which technology areas are seeing the strongest increase in demand today, and what is driving it?
Based on what I have seen across defence programmes, I would say the strongest increase in demand is happening around:
• Electronic Warfare
• Counter-drone systems
• Advanced radar and RF technologies
• Increasingly software-defined and networked defence systems
Electronic Warfare is particularly important because the battlefield is becoming increasingly RF-dense. There is a growing requirement for systems that can detect, identify, locate and counter sophisticated emitters, including frequency-agile and low-probability-of-intercept systems. This is driving demand for technologies such as wideband digital receivers, AESA-based electronic support and attack systems, DRFM, high-speed ADCs, FPGA-based processing and increasingly AI-assisted signal processing.
The second major area is Counter-UAS. The proliferation of drones and autonomous systems has created a requirement for layered solutions combining RF detection, direction finding, radar, electro-optics and electronic or kinetic effectors. This is moving rapidly from niche capability to an essential requirement for almost every major defence formation.
The third area is advanced radar and RF systems, particularly AESA, GaN-based transmit/receive modules, multi-function radars, active phased arrays and compact radar payloads for airborne …
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