- Dual-Use Indian MROs: Bridging Military Readiness & Commercial Aviation Growth
- From Airlines to Airbases: The Challenges Holding Back India’s Dual-Use MRO Vision
- Readiness, Resilience and Repair: India’s Dual-Use MRO Dilemma
By Bharat Malkani, Chairman & Managing Director, MAX AEROSPACE
Mumbai. 21 January 2026. As India accelerates its push toward self-reliance in aerospace and defence, the spotlight is increasingly turning to Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) as a strategic enabler rather than a backend function. Globally, dual-use MRO ecosystems—supporting both military and commercial aviation—have proven critical for operational readiness, cost efficiency, and industrial resilience. In India, where civil aviation is among the fastest-growing in the world and defence aviation operates across diverse and demanding theatres, the convergence of these two domains presents a powerful opportunity. However, despite policy intent and growing private-sector capability, the journey toward fully functional dual-use MROs remains fraught with regulatory, security, infrastructural, and institutional challenges. Understanding these impediments is essential to unlocking India’s full aviation sustainment potential.
Strategic Imperative for Dual-Use Capability
For decades, India relied heavily on overseas MRO facilities for both commercial airlines and military aviation assets. This dependence resulted in high costs, long turnaround times, operational vulnerability during geopolitical crises, and loss of critical technical know-how. The evolving security environment—marked by rapid force mobilisation needs, extended deployments, and lessons from operations such as Operation Sindoor—has reinforced the necessity of having robust, indigenous MRO capacity that can serve both civilian and defence requirements.
Dual-use MROs offer the Indian Armed Forces assured availability of skilled manpower, infrastructure, and tooling during emergencies, while commercial aviation benefits from economies of scale, global best practices, and continuous workflow. This shared ecosystem enhances resilience, especially during conflicts, pandemics, or supply-chain disruptions.
Commercial Aviation as the Scale Driver
India’s civil aviation boom—now among the fastest-growing globally—has provided the scale needed to make MRO investments viable. With airlines operating hundreds of narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, demand for line maintenance, heavy checks, engine overhauls, component repair, and avionics upgrades has surged. This steady commercial workload allows MROs to invest in hangars, digital tools, skilled engineers, and certifications that can also be leveraged for defence platforms.
Facilities developed for Airbus and Boeing aircraft increasingly mirror the technical complexity required for military transports, maritime patrol aircraft, special mission platforms, and even certain rotary-wing assets. This convergence enables faster cross-utilisation of infrastructure and human capital.
Military Aviation: Complexity and Capability Building
Military MRO requirements bring higher complexity—ranging from combat aircraft and helicopters to UAVs, AEW&C platforms, and mission-specific modifications. Defence aviation demands stringent security protocols, classified systems handling, and rapid turnaround during operational surges. When commercial MROs are upgraded to meet these standards, the entire ecosystem benefits from improved quality control, documentation discipline, and advanced engineering practices.
India’s defence reforms encouraging private sector participation—alongside DPSUs and HAL—have opened space for MROs to support transport aircraft, trainers, helicopters, and eventually frontline platforms. Over time, this will reduce pressure on OEM-dependent supply chains and allow faster indigenisation of spares, repairs, and upgrades.
Technology, Talent, and Interoperability
Dual-use MROs act as incubators for high-end aviation skills. Engineers trained on global airline fleets bring international exposure, while defence work sharpens expertise in ruggedisation, mission integration, and life-extension programmes. This cross-pollination is critical for building a workforce capable of supporting next-generation aircraft, drones, and hybrid platforms.
Digitisation further strengthens interoperability. Predictive maintenance, AI-driven diagnostics, digital twins, and paperless documentation—initially driven by commercial efficiency—are now becoming force multipliers for military readiness. A unified digital MRO backbone allows faster audits, better asset tracking, and lifecycle cost optimisation across both sectors.
Challenges to Realising Full Dual-Use Potential
Despite clear advantages, challenges remain. Regulatory silos between civil aviation authorities and defence establishments often slow certifications and clearances. Security concerns limit information sharing, while differences in procurement cycles and contracting norms complicate integration. Additionally, the growing presence of foreign OEM-backed MROs in India raises questions about technology control, long-term sovereignty, and prioritisation during crises.
To fully realise dual-use potential, India must harmonise policies, encourage joint certifications, incentivise indigenous IP creation, and ensure that national interests remain paramount even as global partnerships expand.
A Strategic Asset for the Future
Dual-use MROs are more than cost-saving mechanisms—they are strategic assets. In peacetime, they enhance efficiency, competitiveness, and employment. In crisis, they become force enablers, ensuring aircraft availability, mission continuity, and operational confidence. As India advances towards becoming a global aviation hub and a self-reliant defence power, MROs that seamlessly serve both military and commercial aviation will be central to that ambition. The future of Indian aviation—civil and military alike—will not be defined solely by aircraft acquisition, but by the strength, adaptability, and sovereignty of the systems that keep those aircraft flying. Dual-use MROs stand at the heart of that future.
To overcome these challenges, India must adopt a clear and coordinated way forward that treats MRO capability as a strategic national asset. This begins with harmonising civil and military certification frameworks so that Indian MROs are not forced to operate under parallel, and often conflicting, regulatory regimes. The creation of secure dual-use MRO zones, with defined access controls and oversight mechanisms, would allow civil and military aircraft to be supported within shared infrastructure without compromising security. Defence MRO contracts should mandate meaningful technology transfer and long-term capability building, ensuring that sustainment knowledge and critical skills remain within the country. Equally important is the development of dual-licensed manpower pipelines that produce technicians and engineers qualified to work across both civil and military platforms, strengthening workforce depth and flexibility. Above all, policy must be anchored in the principles of sovereignty, operational readiness, and resilience, rather than being driven solely by cost considerations, if India is to build a sustainable and credible dual-use MRO ecosystem.
Regulatory Silos Between Civil and Defence Aviation
One of the most significant obstacles to the emergence of dual-use MROs in India is the persistent regulatory silo between civil and defence aviation. Civil MROs function under frameworks governed by DGCA, BCAS, and international regulators such as EASA and FAA, while military aviation is overseen by the Ministry of Defence, Service Headquarters, CEMILAC, DGAQA, and service-specific protocols. The absence of harmonised certification standards means that infrastructure, tooling, and even personnel already certified for civil aviation often require separate and time-consuming approvals for defence-related work. This duplication not only increases costs but also leads to operational delays and discourages private players from fully committing to defence sustainment roles.
Security & Classified Systems Constraints
Security concerns and the handling of classified systems present another major challenge. Defence aircraft incorporate sensitive technologies such as encrypted avionics, electronic warfare suites, mission software, and protected flight data. Most civil MROs are not automatically cleared to work on such systems, necessitating rigorous background checks, controlled access regimes, and robust IT security frameworks. Without strict physical and digital segregation, mixed-use hangars carry inherent risks of data leakage or security breaches. These concerns make defence users cautious about integrating civil MROs into critical military sustainment chains, particularly for frontline platforms.
OEM Control and IP Restrictions
OEM dominance and intellectual property restrictions further complicate the dual-use MRO landscape. Many modern aircraft platforms operate under performance-based logistics arrangements, where OEMs retain tight control over maintenance manuals, software updates, diagnostics, and repair procedures. This limits the autonomy of Indian MROs, even when domestic infrastructure and skilled manpower are available. In several cases, OEM-backed MROs tend to prioritise high-volume commercial customers over defence requirements, constraining India’s ability to build genuinely indigenous sustainment capabilities.
Inconsistent Defence Demand & Contracting Cycles
The nature of defence demand itself creates structural uncertainty for private MROs. Unlike commercial airlines with predictable maintenance cycles, military aviation requirements are driven by operational tempo, deployments, budgetary allocations, and mission-specific contingencies. Procurement decisions are often delayed, and fleet utilisation can fluctuate sharply. For private MROs, this unpredictability translates into investment risk, as defence contracts alone may not justify long-term capital expenditure on specialised tooling, test equipment, or niche manpower without assured volumes.
Shortage of Skilled Dual-Certified Manpower
A shortage of skilled, dual-certified manpower is another critical bottleneck. Civil aviation engineers require additional training and clearances to work on military platforms, while military technicians are often not licensed to maintain civil aircraft. This segmentation is exacerbated by high attrition rates, as experienced technicians are drawn to overseas airlines and MRO hubs offering better compensation and working conditions. In the absence of structured dual-certification pathways and career mobility frameworks, talent interoperability between civil and military aviation remains limited.
Infrastructure & Zoning Constraints
Infrastructure and zoning constraints also restrict the feasibility of dual-use MROs. Most Indian airports are designed primarily for civilian operations and are already space-constrained, particularly in metropolitan regions. Hangar availability for wide-body or military aircraft is limited, land costs are high, and defence aircraft often require secure aprons, blast protection zones, and controlled access areas. Integrating military and civil MRO activities within the same airport ecosystem therefore becomes both complex and capital-intensive.
Taxation, Customs & Cost Competitiveness Issues
Despite policy reforms, taxation, customs, and cost competitiveness issues continue to undermine India’s MRO ambitions. Challenges related to customs duties on spares, delays in GST refunds, and procedural inefficiencies add to operational costs. When compared with established MRO hubs such as Singapore, Dubai, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia, India still struggles to offer a compelling cost advantage. Without achieving global competitiveness on cost and turnaround times, large-scale consolidation of MRO activity within the country will remain elusive.
Absence of a Unified National MRO Strategy
A fundamental limitation lies in the absence of a unified national MRO strategy. India lacks an integrated framework that aligns the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Defence, DGCA, the armed services, and industry stakeholders around a shared vision. There is no clearly articulated roadmap defining priority platforms for dual-use sustainment, nor a strong emphasis on developing Indian intellectual property rather than remaining confined to assembly or licensed maintenance roles. As a result, dual-use MRO development tends to be opportunistic and fragmented rather than strategic and mission-driven.
Cultural & Trust Deficit Between Stakeholders
Finally, a cultural and trust deficit persists between defence establishments and private industry. Historically, military aviation has relied heavily on DPSUs and in-house depots, while private players were viewed as supplementary rather than integral partners. Concerns regarding reliability, confidentiality, and continuity continue to influence decision-making. Trust-building is a gradual process that requires sustained audits, consistent performance, and operational proof. While Operation Sindoor highlighted the growing role of private industry in national defence preparedness, it also exposed gaps that must be addressed before true civil–military MRO integration can become a reality.
Changing mindsets is as critical as changing policy. Dual-use MROs are not merely an industrial convenience—they are a strategic necessity. But for them to succeed, India must treat sustainment as seriously as acquisition, and integration as essential to national security.
The concept of dual-use MROs sits at the intersection of efficiency, sovereignty, and readiness—three pillars that define modern air power. While India possesses the talent, industrial base, and demand to support such an ecosystem, entrenched silos between civil and military aviation, OEM dependencies, manpower shortages, and cost disadvantages continue to limit progress. Overcoming these challenges will require more than incremental reforms; it will demand a unified national MRO strategy that harmonises regulation, secures sensitive operations, incentivises indigenous capability, and builds trust between stakeholders. If executed with strategic clarity, dual-use MROs could emerge as a cornerstone of India’s aerospace ambitions—reducing dependence on foreign sustainment chains, enhancing wartime resilience, and positioning the country as a global aviation support hub. The question is no longer whether India needs dual-use MROs, but how quickly it can align policy, industry, and intent to make them a reality.
India’s Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) ecosystem is quietly emerging as one of the most strategically significant pillars of the country’s aviation and defence landscape. Traditionally viewed as a back-end support function, MROs today sit at the intersection of national security, commercial aviation growth, industrial self-reliance, and technological capability. The concept of dual-use MROs, capable of supporting both military platforms and civil aircraft, is gaining renewed relevance as India pursues Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence while simultaneously positioning itself as a global aviation hub.
