India’s defence leadership, senior military commanders, strategic experts and defence industry representatives are set to come together at the NDTV Defence Summit 2026 on September 27, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh scheduled to deliver the keynote address. The summit will examine how technology, industrial capability, strategic partnerships and changing forms of warfare are shaping India’s defence preparedness.

In a press release, NDTV said the summit will bring together policymakers, military leaders, defence manufacturers, global aerospace companies and technology entrepreneurs for discussions around India’s evolving defence capabilities. The programme will cover subjects including artificial intelligence, drones, space, fifth-generation technologies, avionics, rocket propulsion, defence manufacturing and strategic partnerships.

Rajnath Singh will open the summit with a keynote address, setting the context for discussions on India’s defence priorities and the changing nature of military power. The summit will also feature Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani, who will participate in a session titled ‘Commanding Tomorrow’s Battlefield: The India Vision’, focusing on the future of military command, integration and preparedness.

Chief of Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth will deliver a special address on the Army’s perspective on self-reliance and military preparedness in an era of changing warfare. The discussions will examine how land warfare, military doctrine and force readiness are adapting to a technology-driven security environment.

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan will also participate, bringing the maritime perspective to discussions on military transformation and operational preparedness. His session, titled ‘Commanding the Maritime Future’, will focus on the changing requirements of naval operations and future military capability.

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, who is also Secretary DDR&D and holds additional charge as Chairman DRDO, will participate in ‘Strategy to Capability: Building India’s Defence Edge’. The session will examine how defence strategy can translate into technology, production capacity and deployable military capabilities.

A key discussion at the summit will be ‘The Threat Matrix: Rewriting India’s Rules of Deterrence’, featuring Dr Samir V Kamat, former DRDO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, along with SMPP Limited Director and CEO Ashish Kansal and Munitions India Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Hazari. The conversation will focus on deterrence, industrial preparedness and the ability to develop and replenish critical defence capabilities.

The changing role of air power and international defence cooperation will be discussed in ‘The Evolution of Air Power and the Indo-French Partnership’, featuring Lieutenant General Dominique Tardif, Vice Chief of the French Air and Space Force. The session will examine the role of strategic and technological partnerships as countries pursue greater defence capabilities and autonomy.

The summit will also turn its attention to India’s emerging defence technology ecosystem. ‘Building Bharat’s Arsenal of Innovation: AI, Drones & Beyond’ will bring together entrepreneurs and industry leaders working across drones, defence technology and advanced systems. Participants include Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya, Founder & CEO, IG Drones; Brigadier (Retd.) Devashish Choudhary, Senior GM, Zen Technologies; Vedika Dalmia, Director, Hyper Stealth Technologies; Rear Admiral (Retd.) R Srinivas, CEO, Bondada Group; and Arvind Kondangi, MD & CEO, TONBO Imaging.

Artificial intelligence will form another major part of the summit, with discussions examining the growing use of AI on the battlefield and the continuing role of human decision-making. The programme also includes a session on ‘Fifth Generation and Beyond’, looking at next-generation technology and the future of air power.

The geopolitical dimension of India’s defence strategy will be explored in ‘Faultlines & Firepower: India’s Strategic Calculus’, featuring Pankaj Saran, former Deputy National Security Adviser and a member of the National Security Advisory Board. The discussion will focus on India’s strategic choices amid changing global alignments and a more complex security environment.

Technology and indigenous capability will also be examined through ‘Cockpit to Capability: Avionics and the Future of Indian Defence’, featuring Puneet Kaura, MD & CEO, Samtel Avionics. The session will look at avionics, electronics and mission-critical systems that underpin modern military platforms.

Another major session, ‘Beyond Assembly to Autonomy: Securing India’s Core Defence Technologies’, will bring the global aerospace and defence ecosystem into the discussion. The programme includes representatives from companies such as Saab, Embraer and ICEYE, with the conversation focusing on technology access, international partnerships and the development of domestic technological capabilities.

Space technology will feature through ‘Ignition: India’s Race to Own Space’, with Pankaj Chandan, co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace, discussing the role of India’s private space sector in building strategic and technological capabilities. Rocket propulsion will also be addressed through a dedicated session on India’s propulsion ecosystem.

The summit comes against the backdrop of a broader shift in defence planning, with AI, autonomous systems, drones, space technology and networked military capabilities increasingly influencing how armed forces approach future operations. NDTV has described the 2026 edition as a platform focused on India’s evolving defence capabilities and the changing nature of warfare.

The NDTV Defence Summit 2026 will be held on Sept 27, with NDTV announcing coverage from 10 am onwards across its network.