India doesn’t have a single billion-dollar defence company. China controls 99% of drone components. And one man in Bangalore has decided that’s not acceptable.
In this Sangam Talks sit-down session, drone startup founder Suhas Tejaskanda — whose surname carries the name of Kartikeya, General of the Devas — describes building an indigenous drone manufacturing company from scratch in an environment where even basic components are China-dependent and government R&D grants of 50-60 crore are insufficient to develop a system costing 1,000 crore per unit. His comparison is blunt: Israel has Iran as a hostile neighbour; India has China — a country with mass manufacturing capability and the explicit strategic motive to keep India dependent.
Tejaskanda names the systemic failure directly: India’s defence procurement has been dominated by trading companies that buy from Rafale or other foreign suppliers and resell to the government, rather than spending on indigenous R&D. The Lockheed Martins and Northrop Grummans of the world have a structural interest in India never achieving self-reliance — because an India that builds its own weapons is an India that stops being a customer. His vision: India using its defence technology to build alliances of mutual sovereignty rather than dependency, becoming the Vishwa Guru through capability, not slogan.

About the Speaker:
Suhas Tejaskanda is an Indian entrepreneur and engineer, founder of Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace, a pioneering start-up in defence technology. Its flagship innovation—a swarming UAV system for reconnaissance and communication—has drawn global attention for enhancing military capabilities

Rahul Dewan is a tech and social entrepreneur, angel investor, and founder of Srijan Technologies. He leads Sarayu Trust, which supports non-formal education and Dharmic initiatives. A writer, activist, and Sadhaka, he is deeply committed to Bhartiya cultural revival through ventures like Sangam Talks.