Every time the discussion about 5th-generation fighters comes up, many Indian defence analysts make the same argument: our adversaries have them or will soon have them, therefore India must urgently buy a foreign 5th-generation aircraft.

I disagree.

# "If India's strategic decisions are always dictated by the capabilities of its adversaries, then what was the point of building a nuclear deterrent? A nuclear arsenal exists precisely to prevent India from being strategically coerced into rushed decisions under military pressure."

The argument for buying foreign fighters is based on fear of falling behind. But nations do not become great powers by importing their way out of every technological challenge. They become great powers by mastering those technologies themselves.

Buying a foreign 5th-generation fighter may provide an advantage for 20 or 30 years. Building our own fighter ecosystem can provide advantages for the next 100 years.

Yes, indigenous development is slower. Yes, it involves failures, delays, and setbacks. But every country that today exports advanced military technology went through that process. Nobody became a technological superpower by permanently choosing the easier path.

***The time for playing safe has passed.*** India has spent decades talking about strategic autonomy. Strategic autonomy is not achieved by writing policy documents; it is achieved by owning the technology that determines military power.

If the choice is between temporary capability through imports and permanent capability through indigenous development, I would choose indigenous development every time.

***A country that reacts to every external pressure remains dependent. A country that accepts short-term difficulty to build long-term strength becomes truly sovereign.***

Strategic Autonomy Cannot Be Imported