Recent Current Affairs related to DRDO

Adani Defence and Aerospace, a division of the Adani Group, has invested ₹2,500 crore to establish a facility in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh, to create the largest private-sector missile ecosystem in South Asia.

This will be the first private-sector complex in India to integrate composite propellant production, Trinitrotoluene (TNT) manufacturing, and missile system integration at a single location.

The DRDO has successfully conducted a flight-test of the Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket (LRGR) at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur. The rocket was tested for a user-defined minimum range of 60 km and successfully demonstrated all planned in-flight manoeuvres.

The Pinaka LRGR was designed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in collaboration with the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL).

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Union Minister Rajnath Singh, has accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for various acquisition proposals for the defence forces, estimated at ₹52,000 crore.

For the Indian Army, the DAC approved the procurement of the 'AKASH TARANG' Anti-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Electronic Warfare System, Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) Systems, Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) Weapon System, Very Short Range Air Defence System (V-SHORADS), Active Protection System for Tanks, and a Jet-Based Kamikaze Drone System.

For the Indian Navy, the council granted approval for the procurement of Multi Influence Ground Mines (MIGM), Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial Systems (NSUAS), and the establishment of a Land Based Testing Facility (LBTF) for Electric Propulsion Systems. For the Indian Air Force (IAF), approval was accorded for the procurement of Fixed-Wing Based High Altitude Pseudo Satellites (FW-HAPS).

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has received the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) from the DRDO for the indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system named 'Netra'.

The system is integrated onto the Brazilian modified twin-engine Embraer EMB-145I aircraft platform and has a radar detection range of 240–300 km It is to be noted that the 'Netra' programme was initiated in 2003 and sanctioned in 2004, with the IAF receiving the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) in 2017.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh has released the 'Delegation of Financial Powers to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) (DFP-2026)' in New Delhi. The framework aims to expedite local clearances by expanding financial powers across various management levels of the DRDO.

Under the new policy, the financial powers for competitive procurement and sanctioning new projects for the Secretary, Department of Defence R&D (DRDO Chairman) have been doubled from ₹75 crore to ₹150 crore.

The sanctioning autonomy for Directors General (DGs) has been increased from ₹25 crore to ₹75 crore, and for Laboratory Directors from ₹2 crore to ₹5 crore. Additionally, single-tender and proprietary procurement limits have been upgraded, authorizing the Secretary, DRDO up to ₹75 crore, DGs up to ₹37.5 crore, and Lab Directors up to ₹2.5 crore.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) organized a 'Technology Transfer and Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BND) Release Function' at its headquarters in New Delhi.

During the event, 7 indigenous technologies developed by the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) and the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) were transferred to the industry to promote commercialisation. Additionally, 10 BND reference materials were released, and 5 vapor cells for quantum sensing applications, developed by CSIR-NPL, were handed over.

The DRDO has conducted three consecutive flight tests of its integrated multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system. These trials, executed from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha, demonstrated the system’s capability to intercept long-range (5,000 km) and medium-range (2,000 km) missiles using two advanced interceptor missiles.

Additionally, the maiden flight test of the indigenous Naval Anti-Ship Missile–Medium Range (NASM-MR) was also successfully conducted.

The DRDO has successfully conducted the flight-test of the indigenous Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha.

All sub-systems of the missile were developed by various DRDO laboratories and Indian industry partners, with the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) in Bengaluru serving as the nodal laboratory for the project.

The DRDO has successfully tested a high-calibre conventional bomb at the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Haryana.

The test was conducted following standard operating procedures (SOPs) and was supervised by senior officials from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and DRDO scientists. The trial aimed to validate advanced munitions and strengthen defence capabilities.

The Government of India has signed an agreement to export BrahMos missiles to Vietnam in a deal valued at ₹6,000 crore ($629 million).

This agreement strengthens bilateral defence and strategic cooperation between the countries. Vietnam is the second overseas buyer of the BrahMos missile system, after the Philippines.

Rajesh Kumar Singh, the Defence Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, has been given the additional charge of Secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D) and Chairman of the DRDO. He succeeds Dr. Samir V Kamat in these roles.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have successfully conducted flight tests of the indigenous RudraM-II Air-to-Surface Missile. The missile was launched from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft off the Odisha coast.

The RudraM-II is a solid-propelled, high-speed, air-launched system designed for the Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD). It is capable of neutralising enemy surveillance radars, communication hubs, and tracking stations, with an operational strike range of 300 to 350 km.

The DRDO has successfully completed the final deliverable configuration development trials of the indigenous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3. The trials were conducted in both Air-to-Ground and Air-to-Air modes at the National Open Area Range (NOAR) near Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.

The ULPGM-V3 is a lightweight (12.5 kg) fire-and-forget missile with an extended standoff range of up to 10 km. It is to be noted that the missile is a upgrade over its predecessor V1 (free-fall) and V2 (propulsion-added) configurations.

India has successfully test-fired the Agni-1 missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha. The test was conducted under the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) to validate all operational and technical parameters of the system.

Agni-1 is an indigenous, single-stage, surface-to-surface Short Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM) powered by solid propellants. Designed for rapid deployment via road or rail mobile launchers, the missile has an operational strike range of 700-900 km and is capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear warheads.

The Indian Army has inducted two indigenous combat systems named the UAV-Launched Precision Guided Munition (ULPGM) and the AGNIKAA VTOL-1 (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) First-Person View (FPV) Kamikaze Drone. These were procured from Adani Defence & Aerospace Limited under the Emergency Procurement-6 (EP-6).

The induction followed successful high-altitude and Electronic Warfare (EW) trials conducted in the presence of officials from the Western Command of the IA. The ULPGM, co-developed by the DRDO and Adani Defence & Aerospace Ltd, is the first indigenous loitering munition of India, while the AGNIKAA VTOL-1 is the first FPV kamikaze drone of India in its category.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu have laid the foundation stone for an infrastructure project to develop the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) in Sri Sathya Sai, Andhra Pradesh. They also inaugurated a core integration and flight testing centre at Puttaparthi to accelerate the development of the 5th-generation AMCA and other future indigenous platforms.

Additionally, the foundation stone for a naval systems manufacturing facility to support advanced underwater weapons and naval combat systems was laid. The AMCA facility is being established at an estimated cost of ₹2,000 crore, while the total expenditure for the AMCA development programme is projected at approximately ₹15,000 crore.

The DRDO has inaugurated a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Field Training and Demonstration Centre at Burari plains in New Delhi.

Operating as a DRDO-CBRN Centre of Excellence (CoE), the facility is designed to bolster national preparedness for radiological and nuclear emergencies. The CoE is equipped with specialized technical infrastructure to facilitate emergency medical and tactical responses.

The DRDO, through the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), has successfully conducted a long-duration test of an actively cooled full-scale scramjet combustor.

The test was held at the Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) Facility in Hyderabad, Telangana. The combustor demonstrated sustained operational performance by achieving a run-time exceeding 1,200 seconds.

India has successfully conducted the second flight test of the indigenous Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LR-AShM) from Launch Complex-IV at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. The missile, developed by the DRDO, successfully engaged a target at a distance of over 1,500 km.

The missile system is powered by a two-stage solid propulsion mechanism. It is capable of reaching a peak speed of Mach 10 and maintains an average speed of Mach 5 during its cruise and glide phases.

The DRDO has unveiled two variants (tracked and wheeled) of the next-generation Advanced Armoured Platforms named “Vikram VT-21” in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra. Developed by the Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (VRDE) to modernize the mechanized infantry of the Indian Army, the platforms are produced by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) and Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL).

The armament includes an indigenous 30 mm crewless turret with a 7.62 mm PKT gun and supports Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM). These amphibious platforms offer modular blast and ballistic protection (STANAG Level 4 and 5) and use hydro-jets for water traversal. It is to be noted that the current indigenous content is 65%, with a target to reach 90%.