Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday, 15 November 2026, called on India to become not merely a user of advanced technologies but a developer, innovator, and global leader — particularly in critical defence domains. Addressing the 36th Annual Conference on Non-Destructive Evaluation and Enabling Technologies and the 15th International Symposium on Non-Destructive Testing in Aerospace in Hyderabad, Singh underscored the urgent need to strengthen India's Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) ecosystem as a cornerstone of defence preparedness and self-reliance.

What Is NDT and Why It Matters for Defence

Singh explained that NDT technologies allow examination of the integrity of materials, components, and structures without causing any damage to them. Drawing an accessible analogy, he noted that just as ultrasound and X-rays help examine the human body without surgical intervention, NDT techniques detect internal defects in critical components without dismantling or damaging them.

In defence applications — spanning missiles, aircraft, naval platforms, and spacecraft — Singh asserted that quality is not merely a manufacturing requirement but an essential element of operational reliability and national security. 'Hidden defects can affect operational availability, increase maintenance requirements, reduce the service life of equipment and, in critical situations, jeopardise mission success,' he said.

Key Demands: Beyond Defect Detection to Prevention

Singh called for a cultural shift in India's manufacturing and defence sectors. 'We need to move beyond a culture of merely identifying defects towards actively preventing them by embedding quality at every stage of the manufacturing process,' he said. He stressed that testing results must be accurate, reliable, and traceable, based on robust procedures and appropriate standards, assessed by qualified professionals.

He also called on Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), private manufacturers, start-ups, and MSMEs to play an active role in building a consistent quality assurance culture across the entire defence industrial ecosystem.

AI, Robotics, and Digital Twins: The Next Frontier in NDT

The Defence Minister noted that the field of Non-Destructive Evaluation is undergoing a major technological transformation. Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Robotics, Advanced Sensors, Digital Twins, and Predictive Analytics are significantly expanding the possibilities of inspection and structural health monitoring. These tools can improve inspection speed and consistency, assist in analysing complex data, and identify patterns not easily detectable through conventional methods, he said.

Singh called for the intelligent integration of proven inspection techniques with advanced digital technologies, arguing that such convergence would make inspection processes more accurate, efficient, and responsive to emerging industrial requirements.

India's Indigenous Defence Push and INS Vikrant

Highlighting India's growing indigenous defence ecosystem, Singh cited achievements in missile development, naval platforms, aerospace engineering, radar systems, and space applications as reflections of the nation's expanding scientific and industrial capabilities. He described the commissioning of India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, as an important milestone in the Aatmanirbhar Bharat journey.

The three-day conference, organised by the Indian Society for Non-Destructive Testing in Hyderabad, has brought together over 2,000 professionals, researchers, industry experts, and students to deliberate on the latest advancements, emerging technologies, and applications in NDT. As India accelerates its defence indigenisation agenda, the push to develop domestic NDT capabilities will be a critical — if less visible — test of whether Aatmanirbhar Bharat delivers at the systems level.