In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt described the R&D wing of the Ministry of Defence, Defence Research Development Organisation’s (DRDO) efforts for enhancing self-reliance in the defence sector to create a “Made in India” defence eco-system. He stated that, DRDO had signed 1,464 ‘Transfer of Technology’ (ToT) agreements with Indian firms to supply key components to India’s defence setup till date.
The DRDO has been working relentlessly for providing home grown cutting-edge defence technologies to the Armed forces, as a continuous process, he added. These technologies not only handhold defence manufacturers but also pave the way for enhanced home grown indigenous state-of-art defence technologies.
As a separate reply to another question, the MoS Defence also informed that the Central Government was seeking to collaborate with an international engine company for co-developing and producing combat jet engines, which will have higher thrust capacities than 80 kiloNewtons (kNs), for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
He further stated that, indigenous capabilities already exist with the DRDO and Indian industries to design, develop as well as manufacture of 80kN combat jet engines.
In June, the enhancement of funding under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme was approved and Rs 50 crore per project was allotted from the earlier Rs 10 crore. The TDF scheme which is executed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), supports indigenous development of components, products, systems and technologies by Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and start-ups. The scheme facilitates up to 90% of the total project cost and enables industry to work in consortium with industry/academia. Currently, 56 projects have been sanctioned under the TDF scheme.
Agreements pertaining to 21 technologies to be developed by 16 DRDO laboratories spread across India were handed over in April, 2022. Notably, these technologies involve Quantum Random Number Generator – developed by a DRDO Young Scientist Lab (DYSL- QT, Pune), Counter Drone System, Missile Warheads, Laser-directed Energy Weapon Systems, High Grade Steel, Propellants, Surveillance & Reconnaissance systems, Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear underground vehicles, Fire resistant armours, and Anti-Mine Boots.