DRDO Hands Over Seven New Indigenous Defence Technologies

08 Dec 2025 CW Team

Each technology has been designed, developed and rigorously tested by Indian industry in close collaboration with DRDO experts and the three Services, reinforcing the TDF scheme’s emphasis on import substitution and the development of critical indigenous capabilities. The technologies were formally handed over during the meeting of DRDO’s Empowered Committee held at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi, on 2 December 2025. The meeting was chaired by Dr Samir V. Kamat, Secretary of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO, and attended by senior representatives of the Armed Forces, the Department of Defence Production and DRDO.

The Committee held detailed deliberations on a wide range of project proposals and approved 12 new projects in strategic, aerospace, naval and electronic warfare domains. These approvals reaffirm the Government’s commitment to strengthening domestic capability and reducing reliance on foreign technologies in critical and emerging areas.

Members discussed the framework for clearing projects under the TDF scheme and stressed the importance of accelerating end-to-end processing to ensure timely delivery and alignment with evolving operational and technological requirements of the Services. The Committee also reviewed the roadmap for technologies already developed and considered ways to streamline and execute subsequent acquisition processes to enable smooth induction and deployment.

The Committee further recommended key policy alignments and enabling mechanisms to fast-track operational integration of the developed technologies. Addressing the gathering, DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V. Kamat reiterated the Government’s dedication to advancing indigenous defence innovation in line with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, highlighting the need for expedited execution of the TDF scheme.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has handed over seven advanced technologies developed under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme to the Army, Navy and Air Force. The technologies include an indigenous high-voltage power supply for airborne self-protection jammers; a tide-efficient gangway for naval jetties; advanced very low frequency–high frequency switching matrix systems; VLF loop aerials for underwater platforms; an indigenous waterjet propulsion system for fast interceptor craft; a novel process for recovering lithium precursors from used lithium-ion batteries; and a long-life seawater battery system for sustained underwater sensing and surveillance. Each technology has been designed, developed and rigorously tested by Indian industry in close collaboration with DRDO experts and the three Services, reinforcing the TDF scheme’s emphasis on import substitution and the development of critical indigenous capabilities. The technologies were formally handed over during the meeting of DRDO’s Empowered Committee held at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi, on 2 December 2025. The meeting was chaired by Dr Samir V. Kamat, Secretary of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO, and attended by senior representatives of the Armed Forces, the Department of Defence Production and DRDO. The Committee held detailed deliberations on a wide range of project proposals and approved 12 new projects in strategic, aerospace, naval and electronic warfare domains. These approvals reaffirm the Government’s commitment to strengthening domestic capability and reducing reliance on foreign technologies in critical and emerging areas. Members discussed the framework for clearing projects under the TDF scheme and stressed the importance of accelerating end-to-end processing to ensure timely delivery and alignment with evolving operational and technological requirements of the Services. The Committee also reviewed the roadmap for technologies already developed and considered ways to streamline and execute subsequent acquisition processes to enable smooth induction and deployment. The Committee further recommended key policy alignments and enabling mechanisms to fast-track operational integration of the developed technologies. Addressing the gathering, DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V. Kamat reiterated the Government’s dedication to advancing indigenous defence innovation in line with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, highlighting the need for expedited execution of the TDF scheme.

Real Estate

07 Jan 2026

NHB Flags Slow PMAY 2.0 Loan Disbursements

National Housing Bank has flagged slower-than-expected loan disbursements under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) 2.0 during a recent review with housing finance companies, according to reports. The regulator noted that lending under the interest subsidy scheme has yet to gain the intended momentum, despite the programme being operational for several months. The issue was discussed in a meeting with chief executives of leading housing finance companies last week, where NHB officials said disbursals were falling short of internal targets. Lenders were asked to strengthen follow-through on sanc..

Infrastructure Urban

07 Jan 2026

HDFC AMC Enters Private Credit With Structured Debt Fund

HDFC Asset Management Company has entered India’s fast-growing private credit market with the launch of its Structured Credit Fund-I, aimed at providing alternative debt financing to mid-market companies. The International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, will invest up to Rs 2.2 billion as an anchor investor in the fund, HDFC AMC said in a statement. The fund has secured commitments of around Rs 12.9 billion in its first close and is targeting a total corpus of Rs 15 billion, with a green-shoe option to raise an additional Rs 10 billion. This includes a sponsor commi..

Infrastructure Energy

07 Jan 2026

Coal Imports Seen Easing After November Surge

India’s coal imports, which rose sharply by 28.1 per cent in November, are expected to decline in the coming months as domestic availability improves, according to industry data. Coal imports increased to 25.07 million tonnes in November, compared with 19.57 million tonnes in the same month last year, data compiled by mjunction services ltd showed. The platform is a joint venture between SAIL and Tata Steel. According to mjunction, the increase was largely driven by winter restocking by steel producers, along with fresh buying triggered by weak seaborne coal prices. However, imports are ex..