By Ajai Shukla
3rd January 2025
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), on its 67th Foundation Day on January 3rd, paid homage to one of its most venerated sons, former DRDO chief and President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
The current DRDO Chairman, Dr Samir V Kamat, laid bouquets at the bust of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who is widely revered as the “Missile Man of India”.
During the event, the DRDO Chairman released several important DRDO documents. These included a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) on product development, a compilation of various SoPs and guidelines relating to DRDO personnel, a DRDO transport policy, a dictionary on scientific and technical terminology, two periodical magazines, and the January issue of the DRDO Newsletter.
To increase synergy with industry, the DRDO Chairman launched an “Industry Interaction Group” (IIG) on the DRDO website. The IIG is a proactive and structured framework that aims at enabling industry to bring forward suggestions, concerns, queries and grievances.
the DRDO Chairman revealed that the DRDO had been conferred with awards in five prestigious categories: innovation, technology, building and construction and Aatmanirbhar. These were for the project DHARASHAKTI-Integrated Electronic Warfare (EW) System, Advanced Light Weight Torpedo (ALWT), Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), Mission 45 Day and Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) at 32ndGlobal Symposium and 6th World Project Management Forum.
In his address, the DRDO Chairman revealed that in 2024, several defence systems had been handed over to the military and AoN accorded for equipment worth Rs 1.10 lakh crore.
These include an air defence tactical control radar (ADTCR), air defence fire control radar (ADFCR), medium range anti-ship missile (MR-SAM), long range land attack cruise missile system (LR-LACM), signals intelligence (SIGINT) and communications jamming (COMJAM) aircraft (SCA), medium range maritime reconnaissance aircraft (MRMR) for the Indian Navy and multi-mission maritime aircraft (MMMA) for the Indian Coast Guard, the anti-tank influence mine PRACHAND, a joint venture protective carbine (JVPC), area denial munition type-2 and type-3 for the Pinaka rocket system, 155 mm nubless projectile (Bourrelet), indigenous EW suites, Yodha and Anidra, for Sukhoi-30MKI, software defined radio – tactical (SDR Tac), electro-optical fire control system and CBRN water purification system Mark-II.
Dr Kamat also stated that several other DRDO systems have either completed or are in the final stages of “user evaluation” or “development trials”.
He expressed happiness that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had sanctioned two flagship programmes: full scale engineering development (FSED) of the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA); and setting up of a missile test range at Nagayalanka, Andhra Pradesh.
Dr Kamat also mentioned some of the infrastructure and test facilities established by DRDO, namely defence technology & test centre (DTTC), as a part of Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UP DIC) in Lucknow.
They included: a submersible platform for acoustic characterization and evaluation (SPACE) in Idukki, Kerala; A “virtual reality-based applications for naval ships” (ViRANSh) at Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur (DLJ); Small Arms Barrel Manufacturing Facility at ARDE, Pune; and one-of-its-kind Land-Based Submarine Battery Test Facility at NSTL, Visakhapatnam. He hoped these would play a key role in accelerating development activities within DRDO as well as for allied Indian industries.
The DRDO Chairman also highlighted the DRDO initiatives for enabling industry and engagement of academia in 2024. He said that, so far, 1,950 Transfers of Technologies (ToT) on DRDO-developed systems have been handed over to Indian Industries. Of these 256 Licensing Agreements for Transfer of Technology (LAToTs) were signed with Indian Industries in 2024.
He stated that more than 19 development cum production partners/production agencies (DAPP/DAPA) were chosen last year for “mission mode” projects. He added that DRDO test facilities have been opened to industries for utilisation and that more than 18,000 tests had been carried out for private Industries/DPSUs in the past three years with over 5,000 tests in 2024 itself.
He said that more than 25 industry meets were held across the country. Industry Interaction Groups have been established in Labs to facilitate industries and resolving industry grievances. 44 Industry partners completed SAMAR (System for Advanced Manufacturing Assessment and Rating) assessments.
Dr Kamat added that, as on date, 80 projects are ongoing, with nine projects awarded to Industries/MSME/start-ups in 2024. 29 projects approvals are also in the pipeline and should get sanctioned soon. A green propulsion system developed under the technology development fund (TDF) scheme had been successfully demonstrated in orbit functionality on a payload launched by the PSLV C-58 mission.
In addition, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool ‘Divya Drishti’ had been developed. This integrates facial recognition with immutable physiological parameters, such as gait and skeleton.
Kamat also mentioned that the DRDO had been granted more than 201 patents in 2024. He added that the 15 DRDO Industry Academia Centres of Excellence (DIA-CoEs) which are steering translational research activities in nearly 65 identified research verticals are performing very well.
In 2024, 73 projects were sanctioned with a total cost of Rs 275 crore, in which 266 researchers and 10 new academic institutes have been engaged. This amounts to a total of 274 sanctioned projects at the cost of Rs 984 crore, engaging 900 researchers and 46 academic institutes.
Kamat added that, this year, 10 tripartite engagements had been concluded among DRDO, IIT Delhi and industry partners.
He concluded his speech by highlighting the targets pertaining to reforms in the year 2025. He expressed confidence that the documents/SOP for industry engagement through DIA-CoEs; policy for harnessing start-ups, and policy for awarding higher risk projects in Deep Tech Areas would be launched soon.
[ENDS]
Current DRDO Chairman, in his report card for the year said:-
· Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) accorded for equipment worth Rs 1.10 lakh crore in 2024.
· 73 projects worth Rs 275 crore sanctioned in 2024, engaging 266 researchers and 10 new academic institutes
· 1,950 technologies on DRDO-developed systems transferred to Indian Industries.
· 256 Licensing Agreements for Transfer of Technology signed in 2024
No comments:
Post a Comment