Apart From Making Missiles and Rockets, now DRDO is Also Transferring Technology

From missiles to AI based systems

DRDO’s branch Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is currently working on 4 projects. ADA is the same organization that is working on light fighter jets like Tejas for the Air Force and Navy. It has been told by the Ministry of Defense that at present DRDO is working on these projects:

• Missile Systems
• Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems
• Fighter Aircraft
• Armored Fighting Vehicles
• Bridging and mining systems
• Guided weapons
• Cannon and Rockets
• Small arms and ammunition
• Advanced Torpeedoj and advanced sonar suite
• Electronic Warfare
• Long-range radars
• Artificial based on intelligence systems
• Sonar and Torpeedoj
• Autonomous System
• Idblu system

How much did DRDO benefit from ToT

In the last three years, DRDO’s laboratories located across the country have taken forward the work on many such weapons from fighter aircraft to cruise missiles. Along with this, DRDO is also associated with the Accelerated Technology Assessment Commercialization (ATAC) started by FICCI at this time. This program is related to the commercialization of DRDO’s technologies.

In three years, DRDO has completed 91 such agreements which were related to transfer of technology with industries. For this, DRDO had received Rs 11.98 crore as a fee. DRDO Chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy has said that at this time there is a dire need to explore new trends in technology. These trends are very important for the world class test range at the moment.

Big responsibility on DRDO

In order to promote the defense industry in the country, the government started ‘Make in India’ in the year 2014. Apart from this, many efforts were made by the government to encourage the country’s defense industry under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ launched in the year 2020. According to the government, by adopting reforms through indigenous design, the development and manufacturing of defense equipment in the country has been taken forward.

Apart from this, priority was given to domestic vendors in the Defense Procurement Process (DAP) 2020. The government has also increased the fund for domestic purchases as compared to earlier and plans to increase it to Rs 71,438.36 crore. In the coming few years, the big responsibility of preparing weapons for the armies is going to come on DRDO.

Indigenous equipment preferred

It has been said on behalf of the government that in the data which it has received from the Controller General of Defense Accounts (CGDA), detailed information has been given about the purchase of defense equipment. Apart from this, the equipment purchased by the three armies in the last 3 years also shows that imports are coming down. According to the information shared by the government, defense equipment was purchased in 2018-2019 for Rs 93474 crore.

Out of this, goods were purchased from domestic producers for Rs 50500 crore. Similarly, from Rs 108340 crore in 2019-2020 and Rs 63722 crore to domestic manufacturers and in 2020-2021 Rs 139341 crore was spent on defense equipment, out of which Rs 88632 crore came in the share of domestic companies.

Source: https://www.eletimes.com/apart-from-making-missiles-and-rockets-now-drdo-is-also-transferring-technology