Delhi, 2nd January 2026:
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) celebrated its 68th Foundation Day on January 01, 2026. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth visited the DRDO Headquarters and reviewed the achievements of DRDO in 2025 and targets for 2026. Later, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat addressed the DRDO fraternity at DRDO Bhawan, which was streamed live across all the laboratories of DRDO.
Extending warm wishes to DRDO employees and their families, Dr Kamat stated that the efforts of DRDO have given a quantum jump to India’s pursuit of self-reliance in defence as part of the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ vision. He called upon DRDO scientists to focus on next generation needs including cyber security, space and artificial intelligence. The immense potential available generated through DRDO R&D has been a catalyst for the development of industries in the defence manufacturing sector, he said.
Highlighting the achievements of DRDO in 2025, the Chairman DRDO said that several systems developed were delivered, inducted or handed over to the users. He stressed that DRDO should focus to work together with all stakeholders in the defence ecosphere to meet the country’s futuristic challenges and fulfill the Prime Minister vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. He expressed satisfaction that the 22 Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) been accorded by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) and the Services Procurement Board (SPB) for induction of several DRDO developed systems worth approx. Rs 1.30 lakh crores to be manufactured by Indian Industries which is the highest in any single year in history.
Some of the notable systems for which AoN has been accorded include Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS), Conventional Ballistic Missile System, Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile System ‘Anant Shastra’, Long Range Air to Surface Supersonic Cruise Missile (LRASSCM), Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System (IDDIS) MK II, Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) Astra Mk-II, Anti-Tank NAG Missile System (Tracked) Mk-2, Advanced Light Weight Torpedo, Processor-based Moored Mine – Next Generation (PBMM NG), Air-borne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) Mk-1A, Mountain Radars, Full Mission Simulator for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A.
Dr Kamat informed that 11 contracts for acquisitions valued at Rs 26,000 crore have been signed with DRDO production partners for Nag Missile System, Ashwini Low Level Transportable Radar, Air Defence Fire Control Radar (ADFCR), Electronic Warfare Suite for Mi-17 V5 Helicopter, Area Denial Munition (ADM) Type-1 and High Explosive Pre-Fragmented (HEPF) Mk-I (Enhanced) for the Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System, Infantry Foot Bridge Floating, Wargaming System, and Automatic Chemical Agent Detector & Alarm (ACADA) and Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS). He added that a significant number of products developed by DRDO were inducted into the services of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), Police & National Disaster Response Force in 2025.
The DRDO Chairman also highlighted that the User Evaluation Trials for several systems have either been completed in 2025 or are in the final stages. These include Surface to Surface Missile ‘Pralay’, Surface to Air Missile Akash NG, Guided Extended Range Rocket ‘Pinaka’, Advanced Light Weight Torpedo, Integrated Combat Suits for Submarines, Extended Range Anti-Submarine Rocket (ER-ASR), Man Portable Anti-tank Guided Missile (MPATGM), Electronic Warfare Systems for Plains & Deserts, Border Surveillance System (BOSS), Software Defined Radio for Indian Army, CBRN Water Purification System. He further said that several other systems have either completed or are in the various stages of Development trials, which includeIndian Light Tank, Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS), Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile, Short range Naval Anti-Ship Missile (NASM-SR), Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile, Air-to-Surface Missile Rudram-2, UAV Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3, Cannon Launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile for MBT Arjun, Long Range Glide Bomb ‘Gaurav’, Long Range Radar, VHF Surveillance Radar, High Power Microwave System, Medium Range Microwave Obscurant Chaff Rockets, On Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS)-centric Integrated Life Support System (ILSS) on LCA and Automatic Fire Protection System in DORNIER-228 Aircraft.
Dr Kamat expressed confidence that the laboratories will strive to ensure that most of the systems which are under User trials and under final stages of developmental trials get accepted by the user in 2026 so that they are ready for induction. He also stated that DRDO has been partnering with industry for realisation of its systems, sub systems and components, and, so far, 2,201 Licensing Agreements for Transfer of Technologies (LAToT) have been handed over to the Indian Industries out of which 245 LAToTs were signed in 2025. 13 new DcPP/PAs were chosen last year for Mission Mode projects. Total number of DcPP awarded till now is 145.
DRDO has also opened its test facilities to industries and more than 4,000 tests have been carried out for private industries/ DPSUs in 2025. He further said that 15 DRDO Industry Academia Centres of Excellence are steering translational research activities in identified research verticals are performing very well. In 2025, 66 projects were sanctioned with total cost of Rs 228 crore in which 214 researchers have been engaged. This makes it to total of 341 sanctioned project at cost of Rs 1,218 crore engaging 1,255 researchers and 65 academia institutes. He concluded his speech with highlighting the reforms undertaken in 2025.
Courtesy: MoD/PIB
