Senior defense scientists warned at The Hindu Semiconductor Summit on Tuesday that imported chips leave network-centric weapons vulnerable to remote tampering and supply chain disruptions.
Former DRDO Director General V.K. Saraswat and BrahMos Aerospace chief A. Sivathanu Pillai stressed that waiting until 2030-2035 for advanced domestic semiconductor nodes is too late.
The experts called for end-to-end domestic design, manufacturing, and packaging of microprocessors to secure advanced defense hardware like the proposed Sudarshan Chakra air defense shield.