India, March 19 -- Ongoing conflicts, including the war in West Asia, have shown that drones and counter-drone technologies will be central to future warfare and India must take steps to position itself as a global hub for drone manufacturing by 2030 to meet the country's defence requirements and preserve its strategic autonomy, defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.

Self-reliance in the drone sector, he said, was critical given the current geopolitical uncertainties.

"Self-reliance in drone manufacturing is essential not merely at the product level, but also at the component level," Singh said at a conclave on Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, adding that the Russia-Ukraine war and the tensions in West Asia were proof that...