BENGALURU: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has sought more active participation from the private sector, particularly the start-ups, in speeding up its ambitious multi-layered air defence shield, Sudarshan Chakra, to get it up and ready before the deadline of 2035.
The Sudarshan Chakra is envisaged as a multi-layered air defence shield that integrates satellites, advanced radars, and Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) (high-energy lasers/microwaves) to defend or destroy incoming range of enemy aerial threats, like aircraft, drones or missiles, as a comprehensive, nationwide protection for civilian and military assets.
Top DRDO scientists at the two-day DRDO Industry Synergy Meet-2025-Samanvay, ECS Cluster, on Wednesday, said that as PM Narendra Modi had directed speeding up the work, involvement of the private sector and start-ups is being sought.
Dr BK Das, Director General, Electronics and Communication System (ECS), DRDO, said that following the PM’s directions to hurry and scale up the production of the comprehensive air defence shield, this is the time for the defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) to embrace start-ups.
“The start-ups can come forward and tell us what more they have. If you are doing aircrafts or Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C), tell us. We are still importing jets,” Das said. “Can’t we think of such large systems and make the engines here? It is a collective responsibility that India should have its own fighter aircraft with Indian technology.
The DRDO is also working on strengthening the seeker technologies for precision tracking of missiles and targets, which were imported. India has taken up work for its own radio frequency seekers, imaging infrared seekers and millimeter wave seekers, and start-ups also can contribute.”
He said the PM’s push had given the defence scientists a “phenomenal responsibility” of design and development of products for the defence sector needing to be perfect, ensuring large, uninterrupted supply.
“Time has come for a reformed and transformed DRDO-2.0. We are evaluating our labs with strong key performance indicators based on international standards in missiles, radars, weapons and other technologies,” he said.
Manoj Jain, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Electronics Limited, said indigenisation is critical for the next stages. Complete indigenisation in systems and subsystems will be completed in 2-3 years, PSUs in five years, and semiconductors in 10 years.
Ex-director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Padma Vibhushan Dr RA Mashelkar, said despite the pride over Operation Sindoor, it is now time for India to have its own Innovation Public Procurement Policy, and that 1% of budget from all departments must be utilised for procurement. The policy should be innovation-oriented, and helping set up innovations procurement platforms.
The DRDO scientists said Operation Sindoor was a learning ground. They also said to give importance to AI.
