Indian Navy’s Swavlamban 2026 to Focus on AI, Quantum Technology and Indigenous Defence Systems
New Delhi: The Indian Navy will host the fifth edition of its flagship Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Seminar, Swavlamban 2026, at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi on October 26 and 27, focusing on emerging technologies and strengthening India’s indigenous defence capabilities.
The seminar, themed ‘Strength and Power through Innovation and Indigenisation’, will bring together the armed forces, industry representatives, start-ups, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), academia and investors to promote domestic technological innovation and advance self-reliance in defence.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will attend the plenary session as the chief guest on October 26. The session will include the felicitation of industry partners for their contributions to defence innovation and indigenisation. The Swavlamban 5.0 document and a compendium on technology imperatives will also be released.
The seminar will feature discussions on artificial intelligence, quantum technology, autonomous systems and hypersonic technologies, with an emphasis on their potential applications in future warfare and naval operations.
A thematic exhibition will showcase indigenous innovations in maritime surveillance, counter-unmanned aircraft systems (counter-UAS), AI and quantum technologies, nuclear, biological and chemical defence (NBCD), safety and operational efficiency.
The event will also examine ways to strengthen the domestic defence supply chain, expand the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) ecosystem, promote academic entrepreneurship and help start-ups scale up promising technologies. Interactions with investors and venture capitalists will explore funding and commercialisation opportunities.
Since its launch in 2022, Swavlamban has served as a platform connecting the Indian Navy’s operational requirements with the technological capabilities of Indian industry and academia.
The initiative aims to accelerate the transition of indigenous innovations into deployable operational capabilities, strengthening maritime preparedness and Aatmanirbharta.
