The biggest challenge for India in aircraft manufacturing is the jet engine itself. At present, India uses America’s General Electric engines for its fighter aircraft.

Active electronically scanned array radar is very important for detecting and monitoring enemies. At present India is dependent on America, France and Israel for this system. However, DRDO is developing its own AESA for future aircraft.

Although India manufactures many missiles, yet it is dependent on imports for certain weapons. For this, India uses missiles like Meteor and Scalp from France. Similarly, many types of weapons are also imported from countries like Israel and Russia.

Injection seats are used to save the lives of pilots in emergency situations. India is dependent on Russian manufacturers due to its complex engineering and safety standards.

Avionics and electronic warfare systems control communications, navigation and defense countermeasures. For this, India is currently dependent on Israel, France and the United States.

Integrating everything together requires complex software and simulation tools. India imports critical software systems from western partners. Along with this, efforts are also being made to develop indigenous options.