A particular ritual occurs in the Indian defence sector’s reporting today, so familiar that it no longer registers as strange or distinct in what it actually does for the sector. The Defence Acquisition Council meets, and a figure is announced. Just recently, on the 3rd of July, 2026, this figure was 52,000 crore rupees. Illustration by The Geostrata This amount was cleared for anti-drone systems, air defence, and high-altitude surveillance platforms, amongst the defence mode