The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

, charged with the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

, headquartered in New Delhi, India. It was formed in 1958 by the merger of the Technical Development Establishment and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production of the

Indian Ordnance Factories The Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination & Services) (abbreviated: DOO(C&S)) is an authority under the Department of Defence Production (DDP) of Ministry of Defence (MoD), Government of India. Its primary work is to management, give instructio ...

with the Defence Science Organisation under the administration of

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

. Subsequently, Defence Research & Development Service (DRDS) was constituted in 1979 as a service of Group 'A' Officers / Scientists directly under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence. With a network of 52 laboratories that are engaged in developing defence technologies covering various fields like aeronautics, armaments, electronics, land combat engineering, life sciences, materials, missiles, and naval systems, DRDO is India's largest and most diverse research organisation. The organisation includes around 5,000 scientists belonging to the DRDS and about 25,000 other subordinate scientific, technical, and supporting personnel.

History

The DRDO was established in 1958 by combining the Defence Science Organisation and some of the technical development establishments. A separate Department of Defence Research and Development was formed in 1980, which later administered DRDO and its almost 30 laboratories and establishments (there were almost 52 labs before merging). Most of the time, the Defence Research and Development Organisation was treated as if it were a vendor and the Army Headquarters or the Air Force Headquarters were the customers. Because the Army and the

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

themselves did not have any design or construction responsibility, they tended to treat the designer or Indian industry at par with their corresponding designer in the world market. If they could get a

MiG-21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet aircraft, jet fighter aircraft, fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan, Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB, Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nicknames in ...

from the world market, they wanted a MiG-21 from DRDO. Beginning in the 1970s, the Indian Air Force launched a covert effort to develop and indigenise ground-based radar systems to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. Working alongside DRDO labs like LRDE, the IAF helped shape indigenous radar programs such as the Indra and Rohini series. This quiet but determined initiative laid the groundwork for India’s broader air defence modernisation. DRDO started its first major project in

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...

s (SAM) known as Project Indigo in the 1960s. Indigo was discontinued in later years without achieving full success. Project Indigo led

Project Devil Project Devil was one of two early liquid-fueled missile projects developed by India, along with Project Valiant, in the 1970s. The goal of Project Devil was to produce a short-range surface-to-surface missile. Although discontinued in 1980 with ...

, along with Project Valiant, to develop short-range SAM and

ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...

in the 1970s. Project Devil itself led to the later development of the

Prithvi Prithvi (Sanskrit: पृथ्वी, ', also पृथिवी, ', "the Vast One", also rendered Pṛthvī Mātā), is the Sanskrit name for the earth, as well as the name of the goddess-personification of it in Hinduism. The goddess Prit ...

missile under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) in the 1980s. IGMDP was an Indian

programme between the early 1980s and 2007 for the development of a comprehensive range of missiles, including the Agni missile, Prithvi ballistic missile,

Akash missile Akash () is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Indian Army, Army and the Indian Air Force, Air Force variants of the missile system are produced ...

Trishul missile Trishul () was a low-level quick-reaction short range surface-to-air missile developed in India by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). It can also be used ...

and

Nag Missile The Nag missile (), also called Prospina for the land-attack version, is an Indian third-generation, all-weather, fire-and-forget, lock-on after launch, anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) with an operational range of 500m to 20km depending on var ...

. In 2010, the defence minister A. K. Antony ordered the restructuring of the DRDO to give a major boost to defence research in the country and to ensure effective participation of the private sector in defence technology. The key measures to make DRDO effective in its functioning include the establishment of a Defence Technology Commission with the defence minister as its chairman. The programmes which were largely managed by DRDO have seen considerable success with many of the systems seeing rapid deployment as well as yielding significant technological benefits. Since its establishment, DRDO has created other major systems and critical technologies such as aircraft avionics, UAVs, small arms, artillery systems, EW Systems, tanks and armoured vehicles, sonar systems, command and control systems and missile systems. In 2024, DRDO tested India's first long-range hypersonic missile, that is able to carry conventional and

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

warheads to a distance exceeding 1,500 km at a 3 km per second speed.

Plans for reforms

The

has plans to overhaul and reform DRDO, and a committee was formed in 2023 to suggest reforms and overhauls. The 9-member committee, which was under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), was led by former

Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India The Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) is the chief advisor to the Government of India on matters related to scientific policy. It is currently a Cabinet Secretary level position created in 1999 by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. The first ap ...

, K. Vijayraghavan. The committee submitted its report on the reforms for DRDO in July 2024. Reportedly, the recommendations from the committee have been described as contentious and it was also reported that the DRDO has agreed to implement approximately 60% of the major reforms. As of October 2024, the implementation of structural reforms has been delayed due to opposition from senior DRDO officials.

Organisation

Cluster Laboratories/Establishments

As part of the rationalization plan, the Defence Terrain Research Laboratory (DTRL) was merged with the Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment (SASE) which was renamed into the Defence Geological Research Establishment (DGRE). As of 2020, the Advanced Numerical Research and Analysis Group (ANURAG) and Laser Science and Technology Center (LASTEC) are no longer functional as independent entities. The staff are relocated to various DRDO labs in Hyderabad. DRDO is planning to build a new research lab in Lucknow.

HR Institutions

Other Institutions

Centres of Excellence

Projects

Technology Development Fund (TDF) Scheme

On 11 December 2024, under TDF, the iBooster Green Propulsion System was handed over to the DRDO by Manastu Space Technologies, based at

IIT Bombay The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT- Bombay or IIT-B) is a Public university, public research university and Institute of technology, technical institute in Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. IIT Bombay is mainly known for the hig ...

. For crucial satellite functions including

orbit raising In celestial mechanics, an orbit (also known as orbital revolution) is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an ...

orbital station-keeping In astrodynamics, orbital station-keeping is keeping a spacecraft at a fixed distance from another spacecraft or celestial body. It requires a series of orbital maneuvers made with thruster burns to keep the active craft in the same orbit as its ...

, and deorbiting, the iBooster system—which is intended for spacecraft weighing between 100 and 500 kg—will be employed. Unlike

hydrazine Hydrazine is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a simple pnictogen hydride, and is a colourless flammable liquid with an ammonia-like odour. Hydrazine is highly hazardous unless handled in solution as, for example, hydraz ...

, it uses a patented

hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscosity, viscous than Properties of water, water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usua ...

-based fuel that is safer, more affordable, and less harmful to the environment. The high-temperature catalyst in iBooster ensures smooth ignition, and the thruster design has been tuned for increased efficiency.

Industry linkages, technology transfer and indigenisation

India domestically produces only 45% to 50% of defence products it uses, and the rest are imported. To become technology research and production leader, reduce reliance on the imports and increase self-reliance, DRDO Chief called for more collaboration with the industry, private sector, research and education institutes including IITs and NITs.DRDO chief urges for indigenous defence production
, The Economic Times, 28 September 2019. India's

military–industrial complex The expression military–industrial complex (MIC) describes the relationship between a country's military and the Arms industry, defense industry that supplies it, seen together as a vested interest which influences public policy. A driving fac ...

has had little success and only recently private sector was allowed to enter the defence production.Why unlocking defence land bank to meet military's needs isn't a bad idea
, The Economic Times, 4 November 2019. To expedite the development cycle of new technologies and to better fit the end user requirements, army has asked DRDO to take more army staff on deputation to be part of DRDO technology development project teams.
, liistudio.com, 18 October 2019. Indian forces are using numerous indigenous technologies produced by the DRDO, including Varunastra, Maareech, Ushus, and TAL by the navy; Electronic Warfare Technologies, radars, composite materials for LCA, AEW&C, Astra, and LCA Tejas by airforce; and ASAT, BrahMos, ASTRA, Nag missile, SAAW, Arjun MBT Mk 1A, 46-metre Modular Bridge, MPR, LLTR Ashwin by the army.Rajnath Singh Pushes For Indigenisation Of Defence Equipment
, NDTV, 16 September. In September 2019, DRDO formulated the ''"DRDO Policy and Procedures for Transfer of Technology"'' and released information on ''"DRDO-Industry Partnership: Synergy and Growth and DRDO Products with Potential for Export"''. During the Vibrant Goa Global Expo and Summit 2019 in October, DRDO signed

technology transfer Technology transfer (TT), also called transfer of technology (TOT), is the process of transferring (disseminating) technology from the person or organization that owns or holds it to another person or organization, in an attempt to transform invent ...

contracts with 16 Indian companies, including 3 startups, to produce products for the use by

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...

. This included high shelf life, high nutrition, ready-to-eat on-the-go food products to be consumed in the difficult terrain and bad weather.DRDO signs pacts on Transfer of Technology with 16 companies
, The Economic Times, 18 October 2019. DRDO and

ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...

have agreed to collaborate in India's crewed orbital spacecraft project called

Gaganyaan Gaganyaan (,, from Sanskrit: , "celestial" and , "craft, vehicle") is an Indian List of crewed spacecraft, crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the formative spacecraft of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. The spacecraft is being des ...

during which DRDOs various laboratories will tailor their defence capabilities to suit the needs of ISRO's human space mission with critical human-centric systems and technologies like space grade food, crew healthcare, radiation measurement and protection, parachutes for the safe recovery of the crew module and fire suppression system etc.ISRO, DRDO sign MoUs for Gaganyaan mission
, The Economic Times, 17 September. Kalyani Group is developing the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System. DRDO with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) under Advance Assessment Technology and Commercialisation Programme is helping Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) to keep Dal Lake clean by providing low cost Biodigesters for the treatment of

human excreta Human waste (or human excreta) refers to the waste products of the human digestive system, menses, and human metabolism including urine and feces. As part of a sanitation system that is in place, human waste is collected, transported, treated an ...

animal waste Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nutri ...

disposal,

grey water Greywater (or grey water, sullage, also spelled gray water in the United States) refers to domestic wastewater generated in households or office buildings from streams without fecal contamination, i.e., all streams except for the wastewater fro ...

and

kitchen waste The causes of food going uneaten are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during food production, production, food processing, processing, Food distribution, distribution, Grocery store, retail and food service sales, and Social clas ...

release that works fine in ambient as well as sub zero temperature which are also supplied to

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

. Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE) which works in the field of

chemical weapon A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as ...

biological agent Biological agents, also known as biological weapons or bioweapons, are pathogens used as weapons. In addition to these living or replicating pathogens, toxins and Toxin#Biotoxins, biotoxins are also included among the bio-agents. More than 1,2 ...

detection and research is helping

Indian Council of Medical Research The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. The ICMR is funded by the Gove ...

(ICMR) in augmenting diagnostic capability for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

outbreak. It has created special hand sanitiser formulation and diagnostic kits following WHO standards and guidelines that are supplied in large numbers to

civilian A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is war crime, illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civi ...

and defence officials. Medical staff all over India dealing with

Coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

contamination are using protective waterproof clothing with special sealant used in submarine applications developed by Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) for

CBRN defence Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense (CBRN defense) or Nuclear, biological, and chemical protection (NBC protection) is a class of protective measures taken in situations where chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclea ...

that is made up of high strength

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain one or two ester linkages in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include some natura ...

coated with breathable polymer. The clothing underwent successful trials at the South India Textile Research Association and exceeds the criteria of currently available suits in the market. The suit is washable, passed all critical CBRN and

ASTM standards ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is a standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical international standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems and s ...

and is now manufactured by two private players, Venus Industries from

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and IMTEC from

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

. Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory (DEBEL) developed causality evacuation bag for

infected patients that can withstand Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) environments and is protected against blood and viral penetration. The bag is made up of durable water-repellent

nonwoven fabric Nonwoven fabric or non-woven fabric is a fabric-like material made from staple fibre (short) and long fibres (continuous long), bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. The term is used in the textile manufacturing in ...

. It is rigid and cylindrical with air and waterproof zippers and ventilators. Already ordered 500 in numbers, DRDO will now transfer the technology to the private sector for manufacturing. Under the Society for Biomedical Technology (SBMT) programme, DEBEL has developed five-layer nanomesh based N99 masks and is collaborating with Mysore-based Skanray Technologies for the production of ventilators using currently available technologies with Indian made parts due to unavailability of imports. It is also working on a new multiplexed

ventilator A ventilator is a type of breathing apparatus, a class of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathi ...

technology that will be able to support several infected individuals on a single ventilator. The prototype development stage is complete and the initial model is now undergoing various improvements suggested by a team of medical researchers and doctors. The technology will finally be transferred to

Tata Motors Tata Motors Limited is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive company, headquartered in Mumbai and part of the Tata Group. The company produces passenger cars, cars, trucks, vans, and busses, buses. T ...

, Mahindra and Mahindra, Hyundai Motor India, Honda Cars India and

Maruti Suzuki Maruti Suzuki India Limited is a publicly listed Indian subsidiary of Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation. It is the largest automobile manufacturer in India, specialising in small cars. The company was established by the Government ...

for immediate mass production. DRDO signed agreement with Indian Telephone Industries Limited for tech transfer on low cost multiplexed ventilator technology with 80% to 90% of components are now make in India. DRDO as of 11 April 2020 transferred technologies to 30 major companies to manufacture various non-medicine products against the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

which includes ventilators, sanitiser,

personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elect ...

face shield A face shield, an item of personal protective equipment, aims to protect the wearer's entire face (or part of it) from hazards such as Projectile, flying objects and road debris, chemical splashes (in laboratory, laboratories or in Industry (eco ...

and isolation shelters. The technology for the newly developed multiplexed

came from the onboard oxygen generation system (OBOGS) developed for

HAL Tejas The HAL Tejas () is an Indian single-engine, delta wing, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole Military aircraft, combat aircraft designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for t ...

. Private sector players like Raksha Polycoats and Accurate Savan Defence are now producing protective clothing, isolation shelters based on DRDO tech developed for high altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE) bags, submarine escape the suit and satellite recovery systems. Hyderabad-based 3D printing startu
iMake
with Modern Manufacturers and Kirat Mechanical Engineering from

Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...

, Wipro 3D from

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

and Global Healthcare from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

are

3D printing 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...

visor-based face shields which is an offshoot of the tech developed for high-altitude military parachuting. Setco from

is producing sealants developed for submarines of

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

at DRDO labs for personal protection equipment.

Research Centre Imarat Research Centre Imarat (RCI) is a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory located in Hyderabad, Telangana. The lab is responsible for research and development of missile systems, Precision-guided munition, guided weapons ...

(RCI) and

Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) is a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which comes under Ministry of Defence. Located in Chandigarh, the laboratory has become one of the major DRDO labs in the ...

(TBRL) developed a product called Aerosol Containment Box for enclosure of

intubation Intubation (sometimes entubation) is a medical procedure involving the insertion of a tube into the body. Most commonly, intubation refers to tracheal intubation, a procedure during which an endotracheal tube is inserted into the trachea to supp ...

procedure made with

Poly(methyl methacrylate) Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is a transparent thermoplastic, used as an engineering plastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and bran ...

. It is cubical designed for both adults and minors and covers the COVID-19-infected patients during medical examination and treatment from head to chest to stop the transmission of droplets containing the virus to others. Employees' State Insurance Corporation Medical College, Hyderabad helped RCI in prototype development while Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research helped in testing, validation and acceptance of products for medical use. The technology is now transferred to private industries located in

and

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

for mass manufacturing. RCI at DRDO Missile Complex, Hyderabad is now supplying technology of brushless DC motors (BLDC) used for missile actuators and high response

solenoid valve A solenoid valve is an electromechanically operated valve. Solenoid valves differ in the characteristics of the electric current they use, the strength of the magnetic field they generate, the mechanism they use to regulate the fluid, and the ...

s used in missile control for ventilator pumps that validated the prototype testing stages. Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) developed two sanitising equipment of 50 litres tank capacity consisting of a portable backpack type that covers an area of 300 metres while another trolley mounted for large area sanitisation of up to 3000 metres by spraying 1%

hypochlorite In chemistry, hypochlorite, or chloroxide is an oxyanion with the chemical formula ClO−. It combines with a number of cations to form hypochlorite salts. Common examples include sodium hypochlorite (household bleach) and calcium hypochlorite ...

solution.

Vehicle Research and Development Establishment Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (VRDE) is a laboratory of the Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) located at Vahannagar near Ahmednagar. Its primary function is research and development of various light tracked, whe ...

(VRDE) developed a portable disinfection chamber and special face protection mask for

health professional A health professional, healthcare professional (HCP), or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated as HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a Nursing, nur ...

combating the COVID-19 outbreak in India. The personnel decontamination system is equipped with sanitiser and soap dispenser. The full-body decontamination starts using for pedal with an electrically operated pump creating a disinfectant mist of 700-litre of hypo sodium chloride. The system takes 25 seconds for full decontamination with an automatic shut-off procedure and can decontaminate 650 personnel until the next refill. The face mask developed for COVID-19 patients uses the A4 size Over-Head Projection (OHP) film for protection and lightweight materials for long duration comfortable use. VRDE developed full-body decontamination chamber was designed and validated within 4 days with

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (AIIMS New Delhi), is a public medical research university and hospital in New Delhi, India. The institute is governed by the AIIMS Act, 1956 and operates autonomously under the Ministry of He ...

became the first premier institution to use it. The mass manufacturing of the portable decontamination chamber is now done by Dass Hitachi Limited.

Development cum Production Partner programme

As part of Make In India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, DRDO under the Development cum Production Partner programme (DcPP) allowed handholding of domestic private sector industries to improve their development and production cycle of complex defence systems. VL-SRSAM (Vertical Launch - Short Range Surface to Air Missile) and Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) became some of the successful projects of this programme.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian public sector aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Bengaluru. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world. H ...

on 17 December 2021, secured an order for manufacturing, assembly, integration, testing and supply of DRDO Abhyas from

Aeronautical Development Establishment Aeronautical Development Establishment is a laboratory of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation. Located in Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until ...

. The order will be completed under Development-cum-Production Partner (DcPP) with a private sector industry. On 16 December 2021,

Ashok Leyland Ashok Leyland Limited is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturer, with its headquarters in Chennai. It is now owned by the Hinduja Group. It was founded in 1948 as Ashok Motors, which became Ashok Leyland in the year 1955 after collab ...

signed partnership agreement with

Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) is a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Located at Avadi, in Chennai, India. It is the main DRDO lab involved in the development of armoured figh ...

(CVRDE) to develop 600 hp engine for Future Combat Vehicle Programme. Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE) on 27 December 2021 transferred technologies for developing border surveillance system to Indian private sector company Paras Defence and Space. The system consists of radar, and electro-optical sensors mounted on a pan tilt platform. On 28 December 2021, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS) transferred technology to manufacture extreme cold weather clothing system to RHD Business Services, SBNX Innovation, Shiva Texyarn Limited, Kusumgar Corporates and Ginni Filaments Limited. DRDO on 8 January 2024 launched Ugram, an assault rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO, which has been designed, developed and manufactured in collaboration with Dvipa Armour India Private Limited under DcPP. It's scheduled to be tested by the Indian Army. NASM-SR is manufactured by Adani Defence & Aerospace under DcPP.

Larsen & Toubro Larsen & Toubro Limited, abbreviated as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate, with interests in industrial technology, heavy industry, engineering, construction, manufacturing, power, information technology, defence and financial se ...

is producing the Zorawar

light tank A light tank is a Tank classification, tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller with thinner vehicle armour, armor and a less powerful tank gun, main gun, tailored for ...

under the DRDO's DcPP. L&T is manufacturing integrated life-support system-onboard oxygen generation system (ILSS-OBOGS) for aircraft such as

, HAL Tejas Mk2 from Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory under DcPP.

Heads of DRDO

List of Director Generals (1948–2015) and Chairpersons (since 2015) of DRDO. # Daulat Singh Kothari (1948–1961) # Suri Bhagavantam (1961–1969) # B. D. Nag Chaudhuri (1970–1974) # M. G. K. Menon (1974–1978) #

Raja Ramanna Raja Ramanna (28 January 1925 – 24 September 2004) was an Indian nuclear physicist. He was the director of India and weapons of mass destruction, India's nuclear program in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which culminated in Smiling Buddha ...

(1978–1982) # V. S. R. Arunachalam (1982–1992) # A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1992–1999) # V. K. Aatre (1999–2004) # M. Natarajan (2004–2009) # V. K. Saraswat (2009–2013) # Avinash Chander (2013–2015) # S. Christopher (2015–2018) # G.Satheesh Reddy (2018-2022) #Samir V. Kamat (2022–present)

References

External links

The official website of DRDODRDO Recruitment: ScientistDRDO Recruitment: Technical, Admin & Allied Cadre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Defence Research And Development Organisation Military units and formations established in 1958 Research and development organizations Defence agencies of India Ministry of Defence (India) Nuclear weapons programme of India 1958 establishments in Delhi Nehru administration Government agencies of India