In a significant stride towards strengthening India’s self-reliance in defence manufacturing, the Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (VRDE), a premier DRDO laboratory, transferred technologies of nine advanced systems to 10 industry partners during a ceremony held at its Ahilyanagar campus.
The event, held in the presence of Dr Samir V Kamat, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO, marked a major push towards Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence technologies. Licensing agreements were formally handed over to representatives from both public and private sector firms, underlining the government’s vision of a robust, collaborative defence industrial ecosystem.
The transferred technologies span a wide array of land-based military systems, showcasing India’s growing indigenous capabilities. Among the notable systems:
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Recce Vehicle (Tracked) Mk-II was licensed to Bharat Electronics Limited
- Mounted Gun System to Bharat Forge Limited
- Anti-Terrorist Vehicle – Tracked Version to Metaltech Motor Bodies Pvt. Ltd.
- 70-ton Tank Transporter Full Trailer for MBT Arjun Mk-1A to four firms: BEML Ltd., Tata International Vehicle Applications, SDR Auto Pvt. Ltd., and John Galt International
- Expandable Mobile Shelter to Bharat Electronics Limited
- Vajra-Riot Control Vehicle to Tata Advanced Systems Limited
- Unit Maintenance and Repair Vehicles for MBT Arjun to BEML Limited
- Multi-Purpose Decontamination System to Dass Hitachi Limited and Goma Engineering Pvt. Ltd.
In addition to the technology transfers, VRDE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with COEP Technological University, Pune to jointly pursue research in cutting-edge and emerging defence technologies.
Dr Kamat, addressing the gathering, lauded the outstanding performance of indigenous systems during Operation Sindoor and urged industry partners to scale up surge capacity for future needs. India’s land systems capability has taken a major leap through DRDO’s research and the industry’s drive to deliver. The synergy between public R&D and private enterprise is a game-changer for national security, he said.
Also present at the event were Prof (Dr) Prateek Kishore, Distinguished Scientist and Director General (Armament and Combat Engineering Cluster), Director of VRDE Shri G Ramamohana Rao, and several senior scientists alongside key industry representatives.
