Forecasting the emergence, development, and impact of industry 4.0 technologies for defence sector in terms of sustainability and innovation: A comprehensive analysis

Currently, industry 4.0 technologies have revolutionised every field for digital transformation, real-time monitoring, and innovative infrastructure. Real-time insights across war fighting and real-time decision support to individual and realistic training scenarios for soldiers are all positive outcomes of assimilating Industry 4.0 into Defence. In this study, we have presented a detailed discussion on the significance of Industry 4.0 technologies for Defence from the perspective of innovation. During the analysis, it was concluded that artificial intelligence (AI), robots, drones, augmented reality, simulation, additive manufacturing, big data analytics, and Internet of Things (IoT) are Industry 4.0, technologies that are used in Defence for trajectory analysis of enemy zones, smart bullets, anti-drone Defence systems, defining the target range of missiles, target classification, rapid prototyping of deployed military equipment, extracting injured personnel, and remote firing. This study proposes an industrial Defence sustainability and innovation framework to advance understanding of how industry 4.0 can enable innovation. • The significance of Industry 4.0 for defense from the perspective of sustainability and innovation. • Industry 4.0 enables soldiers with real-time war-fighting insights and decisions. • Blockchain for 5G drones, green defense and renewable energy management are the recommendations.