Defence Ministry Releases TPCR-2025 Roadmap

The Ministry of Defence of India has published a 15-year plan, Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap (TPCR-2025) , which reflects a 20-40 year outlook on the technology of the armed forces. The roadmap identifies nuclear resilience, drone warfare, and electronic warfare as key pillars and strengthens the Indian drive towards defence self-reliance.

Strategic Vision

TPCR-2025 acts as a roadmap to the Army, Navy and Air Force to inform all future acquisitions and innovations. It urges local industry and research organisations to meet the changing military demands, and the objective is to diminish dependence on external suppliers and improve the level of strategic independence.

Knowledge-based society.

One of the areas is the survivability of the nuclear assets due to enhanced delivery mechanisms, hardened command systems, and enhanced nuclear command and control infrastructures. Radiation sensors, mobile decontamination rigs, and unmanned vehicles to conduct CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) reconnaissance are also part of the roadmap to enhance preparedness to unconventional threats.

Drones Capabilities.

The Army will absorb stealth drones with a range of 1,500 km and a range of operating altitude up to 60,000 feet. They will have electronic warfare payloads and NBC sensors. The scampering of munitions that are AI-controlled and have warheads that can be used again is meant to enhance precision strike capabilities. Mechanised and armoured units will be supported in combats by integrated reconnaissance and targeting drones.

Electronic and Cyber Warfare.

TPCR-2025 accepts the increasing drone threat and suggests adaptive jamming systems and electronic denial zones with a range of 15 km as countermeasures to hostile swarms. It also describes investment in AI-based cyber tools, quantum communications networks, space-based surveillance to protect India in the digital and space realms.

Service-Specific Modernisation

The Navy will evolve nuclear propulsion mechanisms, build a new generation aircraft carrier utilizing EMALS and implementation of autonomous underwater vehicles. The Army is bound to induce 1,800 Future Ready Combat Vehicles and light tanks to support warfare in high-altitude. The Air Force intends to deploy laser weapons, drone stealth bombers and high-altitude pseudo-satellites to conduct constant surveillance.

Cross-Cutting Innovations

Tri-service deployment of more than 500 scramjet-propelled hypersonic missiles are expected. Predictive operations will be made possible by AI, simulation of digital twins, and machine learning. The roadmap emphasis on sustainability as well as combat readiness is complemented by green logistics and energy-efficient systems.