NewsGate Press Network

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) celebrated its 68th Foundation Day on Thursday the First of January 2026.

To mark this special day, and particularly to acknowledge the spectacular growth of the DRDO during 2025, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with top officials of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) visited DRDO headquarters in the National Capital.

In the year 2025, DRDO was accorded 22 Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) 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).

The list also includes  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.

In all about 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.

It is noteworthy to mention that that 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.

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.

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.