Defence technology at an inflection point: Where security meets innovation

By A S Keshav, CEO- KS Smart Solutions

The defence technology industry is undergoing one of its most profound transformations since the Cold War. The convergence of geopolitics, rapid technological change and shifting innovation models has created a new reality: the security of nations now depends as much on chips, data and algorithms as it does on aircraft carriers and missile systems.

Traditionally, defence R&D produced innovations that later found civilian applications, the internet and GPS being the most famous examples. Today, this flow has reversed. Civilian technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, 5G and small satellites are being rapidly adapted for military use. This inversion of the innovation pipeline has created opportunities for agile start-ups and SMEs, many of which are better positioned than legacy contractors to deliver cutting-edge solutions at speed.

The rise of unmanned and autonomous systems illustrates this shift vividly. Drones, once regarded as niche ...