DRDO
Organisation and Mandate
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is the R&D wing of India's Ministry of Defence, tasked with designing and developing cutting-edge defence technologies, systems, and materials to equip India's armed forces.
- Founded in 1958; operates 50+ laboratories and establishments across India, covering missiles, aeronautics, naval systems, electronics, materials, and life sciences
- Key laboratories relevant to materials: DMSRDE (Kanpur) — composites and non-metallic materials; DMRL (Hyderabad) — Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory for advanced alloys and metals
- DRDO follows a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework — technologies mature from basic research (TRL 1) to full operational capability (TRL 9), at which point they are transferred to industry
- Successful DRDO programmes include Agni/Prithvi missiles, Tejas light combat aircraft (composite airframe), Arjun Main Battle Tank, and AUV systems
- DRDO's budget is approximately ₹23,855 crore in 2025-26
● Tracked since April 07, 2026 · last seen June 29, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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