Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth reviews DRDO's advanced tech collaborations in AI, robotics, and cybersecurity

New Delhi [India], July 24 : Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth visited the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday, where he was informed about DRDO's collaborations with the private sector, MSMEs, and academia, with a focus on sectors like artificial intelligence, robotics, and cyber security.
Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat gave Seth a detailed presentation on the recent achievements, major ongoing projects and the future roadmap. Seth was also apprised about the DRDO-developed cutting-edge state-of-the-art technologies and systems being used by the Armed Forces and those under development, a press release by the Ministry of Defence said.
The Raksha Rajya Mantri was also briefed about the various collaborations of DRDO with private sector industry, MSMEs and academia to focus on deep tech areas like artificial intelligence, robotics, cyber security, unmanned systems, and advanced materials, including dual-use technology, where rapid innovation can significantly enhance defence capabilities.
He was further apprised about how the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme is encouraging the participation of private industries, especially start-ups and MSMEs, to create an ecosystem aimed at enhancing the capabilities in cutting-edge technology and promoting 'Aatmanirbharta' in defence, the release added further.
DRDO's initiatives to involve the industry, from the initial stages of system development to the availability of DRDO patents to the industry and support to academia through DRDO Industry Academia (Centres of Excellence), extramural research grants, etc were also explained.
Meanwhile, a week ago, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) awarded seven new projects to industries under the Technology Development Fund scheme for various requirements of the Armed Forces and aerospace and defence sectors.
These project sanctions are a testimony to the continuing endeavour of DRDO in nurturing Industries, especially MSMEs and start-ups, in the defence and aerospace domains.
The Indigenous development of these technologies will strengthen the military-industrial ecosystem.
The Indigenous Scenario and Sensor Simulation Toolkit project involves the development of an indigenous toolkit for simulator training of pilots in realistic scenarios. This will help in full mission planning and large-force engagement. The project has been awarded to start-up, Oxygen 2 Innovation Pvt Ltd, Noida.
The Underwater Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle project relates to versatile marine battlefield accessories that can be deployed in multiple combat roles. The objective is Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). The project has been awarded to Sagar Defence Engineering Pvt Ltd Pune.
Long-range Remotely Operated Vehicles for Detection and Neutralisation Vehicles are dual-use systems that will enable the detection, classification, localisation and neutralisation of underwater objects while keeping the key assets away from the suspected operational area. The project has been awarded to a start-up, IROV Technologies Pvt Limited, Kochi.
The development of the Ice Detection Sensor for Aircraft project aims to detect icing conditions inflight, caused by supercooled water droplets that freeze after their impact against the aircraft's external surfaces and are utilised by the aircraft for turning on the aircraft Anti-icing mechanism. It has been awarded to Craftlogic Labs Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru.
The development of a Radar Signal Processor with an Active Antenna Array Simulator project will enable the deployment of multiple target systems for test and evaluation of multiple short-range aerial weapon systems. It serves as the basic building block for larger radar systems. The project has been sanctioned to Data Pattern (India) Limited, Chennai.
Development of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System-based Timing Acquisition and Dissemination System project has been sanctioned to Accord Software and Systems Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru. It aims to enable the indigenization of timing acquisition and dissemination system, the use of Indian Constellation for acquiring time and the development of a customised and flexible timing system as per range requirements.
Development of Graphene-Based Smart and E-textiles for Multifunctional Wearable Applications The start-up, Alohatech Private Limited, Coimbatore, has been sanctioned the project. It will develop conductive yarn and fabric-making processes using graphene nanomaterials and conductive inks. The outcome will be advanced nanocomposite materials-based E-textiles utilising the inherent advantages for practical clothing applications.