The Invest Kerala Global Summit 2025 has highlighted India's ambitious quest for developing indigenous warships and fighter jets, emphasizing the need for Kerala to play a more significant role in this endeavour.

The Indian Navy is building nearly all its warships domestically, with a high level of indigenous content. This reflects India's push towards self-reliance in defence production under the "Atmanirbharta" initiative.

Sessions at the summit focused on making India a global leader in defence technologies. There was a strong emphasis on collaboration between public and private sectors to enhance innovation.

The state's strategic location, skilled workforce, and IT sector make it an ideal hub for aerospace and defence industries. Participants urged Kerala to leverage these advantages to become a major player in these sectors.

The summit attracted significant investment commitments across various sectors, including aerospace and defence. A total of ₹1.5 Lakh Crores worth of investments were announced during the event.

Kerala is being encouraged to capitalise on its strengths such as:

Strategic Location: Its long coastline offers opportunities for maritime-related industries.
Skilled Workforce: Highly educated population suitable for advanced manufacturing.
IT Sector: Thriving IT industry can support technology-intensive defence projects.

By fostering greater synergy between MSMEs and larger companies, Kerala can contribute significantly to India's goal of becoming self-reliant in defence technologies.

The Invest Kerala Global Summit underscored both India’s commitment to indigenous military hardware development and Kerala’s potential as a key contributor to this effort through increased investment and innovation in aerospace and defence sectors.

Agencies