NEW DELHI: The Defence Minister Shri Arun Jaitley unveiled a compilation of the contribution of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) to the Indian Armed and Paramilitary Forces here today. The DRDO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D Dr. S Christopher, Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal S B Deo and other senior officials of the Ministry of Defence & the DRDO were also present on the occasion of the release of the “DRDO Key Achievements 2014-17” compilation.
A number of DRDO developed weapon systems, platforms, dual use equipment have been accepted and inducted in the Indian Armed Forces and Paramilitary Forces. Some of the notable successful tests completed and inducted are Tejas fighters, Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) System, Akash Weapon System, SONAR systems, Varunastra Torpedo, Bharani Weapon Locating Radar (WLR), Nuclear Biological Chemical (NBC) Recce Vehicle, AGNI-V, Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM), Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM), NAG, Advanced Towed Array Gun (ATAG), Wheeled Armoured platform (WhAP), RUSTOM-II MALE Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, etc.
The production value of DRDO developed products, cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council has grown by 60 per cent in the last three years to approximately ₹ 2,57,000 crore from nearly ₹ 1,61,000 crore. The export potential of DRDO developed systems has also increased manifolds and this year export of torpedo stands at US$ 37.9 million. This is a step towards achieving self-reliance in critical defence systems and realisation of the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Make in India’.