DRDO lists 108 items to boost local industry

NEWDELHI:FROM mini unmanned aerial vehicles to fire detection systems and bullet proof vehicles to tank transporters, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has come out with a list of 108 systems and sub-systems that it will help the Indian industry design and develop to strengthen the local defence ecosystem.

A DRDO delegation briefed defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday on the 108 defence items identified for local production by the industry to achieve self-reliance in the defence sector, a defence ministry spokesperson said.

“This initiative will pave the way for the Indian defence industry to develop many technologies towards building an Atmanirbhar Bharat,” the defence minister’s office tweeted.

The other items on the list prepared by the DRDO are NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical) shelters, missile canisters, navigation radars, satellite navigation receivers, mine-laying equipment and armoured engineering reconnaissance vehicles. The DRDO will also provide support to the domestic industry. “All the requirements of these systems by R&D establishments, armed forces and other security agencies can be met through development contracts or production orders on suitable Indian industry. This will allow the DRDO to focus on design and development of critical and advanced technologies and systems,” it added.

The present industry base of the DRDO consists of 1,800 micro, small and medium enterprises, defence public sector undertakings, ordnance factories and large-scale industries.

On August 9, the government announced that it will ban the import of 101 different types of weapons, systems and ammunition over the next five years, a significant step on the long road towards achieving self-reliance in the defence sector.