- The policy is not just about saving money or creating jobs; this is about not depending on other countries for weapons because the dependence could be risky during a crisis.
- China dominates in the processing part of the critical minerals that are used for the making of defense products e.g. missiles and drones.
- Dependence on supply chains can become more important during periods of geopolitical tension.
- The real test of strategy is not simply that India can build the weapons but whether it can secure the supply chains of the critical minerals.
Why India is Building Indigenous Weapons
India is building its own drones and missiles, like TAPAS-BH 201, Archer-NG, Ghatak UCAV, Brahmos, Astra, etc., because it is the requirement of India, not just to look strong. In 2020, India and China had a violent clash at Galwan that showed India did not have enough drones to watch the border and high mountain areas, so India started building its own surveillance drones for that terrain. At the same time, India faces tension with Pakistan and also needs to protect its interests in the Indian Ocean region. This is why India is building its long-range missiles to prepare for a two-front war at the same time. All of this missile development and drone development comes under the Self-Reliant India policy. This policy is not just about saving money or creating jobs; this is about not depending on other countries for weapons because the dependence could be risky during a crisis. Modern drones and missiles use software, cameras, sensor data, and critical minerals. Even if a small part of them comes from outside India, independence in a crisis can be at risk. That is why we have explained the minerals problem so much.
Critical minerals behind India’s defense systems
India is developing advanced drones and missiles within the country. TAPAS-BH-201, Archer-NG and Ghatak UCAV show the growing strength of India’s drone capabilities. Brahmos, Astra, Agni-V and Pralay are important developments in Indian missile development. Although there is another part of this progress. In the production of drones and missiles the critical minerals used by India majority of them come from China. The mineral mapping of India’s defence shows how large the problem is. For example TAPAS BH-201 is likely connected with minerals such as aluminum, titanium, copper, gallium, germanium, nickel and niobium. Archer-NG is also likely to be connected with a wide range of minerals. Other drones have different combinations of minerals. Netra is likely connected with magnesium, scandium, praseodymium, neodymium and dysprosium while Ghatak UAV is likely connected with tantalum nickel, hafnium, beryllium, gallium, germanium, indium and samarium. The same pattern we can also observe in missiles. Brahmos is likely connected with titanium, cobalt and samarium while Astra MK-1 is likely connected with samarium and tungsten. Along with this germanium is connected with Nag, HELINA and MPATGM. Dysprosium is likely connected with HSTDV and Shaurya while beryllium is likely connected with Agni-V and K-4. Neodymium is likely connected with Akash, Pralay and Prithvi. These examples show that critical minerals are used across many different missiles and drones.
China processing dominance and India’s supply chain vulnerability
This is the main part where China’s position becomes important. China dominates in the processing part of the critical minerals that are used for the making of defense products e.g. missiles and drones. The data shows that China accounts for 99 percent of gallium processing and 95 percent of magnesium processing while 74 percent for germanium,70 percent for indium,69 percent for titanium and 60 percent for aluminium. China also accounts for 46 percent of tantalum processing and 44 percent of copper processing. These types of figures show the dependence on China. India may be able to design and manufacture the final drones and missiles but the mineral supply is highly concentrated in other countries. China being in a strong position in mineral processing can become strategically important when materials are difficult to replace quickly. India’s wider dependence on China in the rare earth sector gives another indication of this problem. In 2024-25 India imported nearly 54000 tonnes of rare earth permanent magnets among them 93 percent came from China. It shows how dependent India is on China for rare earth minerals.
From weapon Indigenization to strategic autonomy
Because of the dependence on critical minerals India can’t produce missiles and drones without critical minerals and the processing of critical minerals is largely controlled by China. This creates a serious question on India’s strategic autonomy in drones and missiles. Dependence on supply chains can become more important during periods of geopolitical tension. If the processing is heavily dependent on China, replacing that quickly will not be easy therefore the supply chain of the minerals becomes part of the security of missiles and drones. However the development of missiles and drones remains an important step toward greater self-reliance but producing the final platform domestically is only one layer of self-reliance.
Conclusion
The deeper challenge is to secure what lies behind the weapons. India’s defence autonomy will not depend only on its ability to build missiles and drones at home but also on its ability to develop resilient and reliable supply chains. The real test of strategy is not simply that India can build the weapons but whether it can secure the supply chains of the critical minerals. This problem is easy to miss because people usually look at where a weapon is put together, not where its parts come from. Until India finds different, reliable places to get these processed minerals from, even its best drones and missiles will not be fully self-made. India’s independence in defence will stay incomplete.
Shivendra Shukla is pursuing M.A. in Politics and International Studies at Pondicherry University. Views expressed are the author’s own.
Anjali Singh 
Aayush Pal