NEW DELHI, Jan. 22 -- India has the mindset and human capital to become a strong military and take flight towards the national goal of becoming a developed country by 2047 but what it lacks is technology, and bridging that gap requires entering into strategic partnerships with other countries to develop next-generation weapons and systems, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh said on Wednesday.

This approach, he said, must progress in conjunction with steps towards indigenisation of military hardware.

"While supporting the research and development efforts towards indigenisation and 'atmanirbharta' (self-reliance), we need to decide on investing in some other Make in India programmes so that we get the technology and...