The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, headquartered in New Delhi, India. It was formed in 1958 by the merger of the Technical Development Establishment and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production of the Indian Ordnance Factories with the Defence Science Organisation under the administration of Jawaharlal Nehru. Subsequently, Defence Research & Development Service (DRDS) was constituted in 1979 as a service of Group 'A' Officers. Scientists directly under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.
With a network of 52 laboratories that are engaged in developing defence technologies covering various fields like aeronautics, armaments, electronics, land combat engineering, life sciences, materials, missiles, and naval systems, DRDO is India's largest and most diverse research organisation. The organisation includes around 5,000 scientists belonging to the DRDS and about 25,000 other subordinate scientific, technical, and supporting personnel.
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History
The DRDO was established in 1958 by combining the Defence Science Organisation and some of the technical development establishments. A separate Department of Defence Research and Development was formed in 1980, which later administered DRDO and its almost 30 laboratories and establishments (there were almost 52 labs before merging). Most of the time, the Defence Research and Development Organisation was treated as if it were a vendor and the Army Headquarters or the Air Force Headquarters were the customers. Because the Army and the Air Force themselves did not have any design or construction responsibility, they tended to treat the designer or Indian industry at par with their corresponding designer in the world market. If they could get a MiG-21 from the world market, they wanted a MiG-21 from DRDO.
Beginning in the 1970s, the Indian Air Force launched a covert effort to develop and indigenise ground-based radar systems to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. Working alongside DRDO labs like LRDE, the IAF helped shape indigenous radar programs such as the Indra and Rohini series. This quiet but determined initiative laid the groundwork for India's broader air defence modernisation.
DRDO started its first major project in surface-to-air missiles (SAM) known as Project Indigo in the 1960s. Indigo was discontinued in later years without achieving full success. Project Indigo led Project Devil, along with Project Valiant, to develop short-range SAM and ICBM in the 1970s. Project Devil itself led to the later development of the Prithvi missile under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) in the 1980s. IGMDP was an Indian Ministry of Defence programme between the early 1980s and 2007 for the development of a comprehensive range of missiles, including the Agni missile, Prithvi ballistic missile, Akash missile, Trishul missile and Nag Missile. In 2010, the defence minister A. K. Antony ordered the restructuring of the DRDO to give a major boost to defence research in the country and to ensure effective participation of the private sector in defence technology. The key measures to make DRDO effective in its functioning include the establishment of a Defence Technology Commission with the defence minister as its chairman. The programmes which were largely managed by DRDO have seen considerable success with many of the systems seeing rapid deployment as well as yielding significant technological benefits. Since its establishment, DRDO has created other major systems and critical technologies such as aircraft avionics, UAVs, small arms, artillery systems, EW Systems, tanks and armoured vehicles, sonar systems, command and control systems and missile systems.
Plans for reforms
The Government of India has plans to overhaul and reform DRDO, and a committee was formed in 2023 to suggest reforms and overhauls. The 9-member committee, which was under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), was led by former Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, K. Vijayraghavan. The committee submitted its report on the reforms for DRDO in July 2024. Reportedly, the recommendations from the committee have been described as contentious and it was also reported that the DRDO has agreed to implement approximately 60% of the major reforms. As of October 2024, the implementation of structural reforms has been delayed due to opposition from senior DRDO officials.
DRDO 2.0
Under the new strategy known as DRDO 2.0, which aims to prepare India for the next era of warfare, DRDO is shifting its focus from the development of conventional weapons to next-generation technologies like directed energy weapons, photonics, quantum systems, and artificial intelligence, according to Director General for Electronics & Communication Systems Dr. B.K. Das. While DRDO remains committed in a limited capacity, offering 10 to 20 percent support, it is turning over most of the development and manufacturing of conventional systems to the private sector from 2025. While allowing industrial partners to increase production, DRDO will focus on long-term strategic research.
Organisation
Cluster Laboratories/Establishments
As part of the rationalization plan, the Defence Terrain Research Laboratory (DTRL) was merged with the Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment (SASE) which was renamed into the Defence Geological Research Establishment (DGRE). As of 2020, the Advanced Numerical Research and Analysis Group (ANURAG) and Laser Science and Technology Center (LASTEC) are no longer functional as independent entities. The staff are relocated to various DRDO labs in Hyderabad. DRDO is planning to build a new research lab in Lucknow.
Technology Development Fund (TDF) Scheme
The Technology Development Fund (TDF) Scheme is a Ministry of Defence programme administered by the DRDO for supporting companies, with a focus on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and startups, in developing defence technologies. As of December 2024, 79 TDF projects have been sanctioned to various industrial partners for developing defence technologies.
On 11 December 2024, under TDF, the iBooster Green Propulsion System was handed over to the DRDO by Manastu Space Technologies, based at IIT Bombay. For crucial satellite functions including orbit raising, orbital station-keeping, and deorbiting, the iBooster system—which is intended for spacecraft weighing between 100 and 500 kg—will be employed. Unlike hydrazine, it uses a patented hydrogen peroxide-based fuel that is safer, more affordable, and less harmful to the environment. The high-temperature catalyst in iBooster ensures smooth ignition, and the thruster design has been tuned for increased efficiency. A green propulsion system, developed by the TDF, was successfully demonstrated in orbit on a launched payload aboard PSLV-C58.
Industry linkages, technology transfer and indigenisation
India domestically produces only 45% to 50% of defence products it uses, and the rest are imported. To become technology research and production leader, reduce reliance on the imports and increase self-reliance, DRDO Chief called for more collaboration with the industry, private sector, research and education institutes including IITs and NITs. India's military–industrial complex has had little success and only recently private sector was allowed to enter the defence production. To expedite the development cycle of new technologies and to better fit the end user requirements, army has asked DRDO to take more army staff on deputation to be part of DRDO technology development project teams.
Indian forces are using numerous indigenous technologies produced by the DRDO, including Varunastra, Maareech, Ushus, and TAL by the navy; Electronic Warfare Technologies, radars, composite materials for LCA, AEW&C, Astra, and LCA Tejas by airforce; and ASAT, BrahMos, ASTRA, Nag missile, SAAW, Arjun MBT Mk 1A, 46-metre Modular Bridge, MPR, LLTR Ashwin by the army. In September 2019, DRDO formulated the "DRDO Policy and Procedures for Transfer of Technology" and released information on "DRDO-Industry Partnership: Synergy and Growth and DRDO Products with Potential for Export".
During the Vibrant Goa Global Expo and Summit 2019 in October, DRDO signed technology transfer contracts with 16 Indian companies, including 3 startups, to produce products for use by the Indian Armed Forces. This included high shelf life, high nutrition, ready-to-eat on-the-go food products to be consumed in the difficult terrain and bad weather. DRDO and ISRO have agreed to collaborate in India's crewed orbital spacecraft project called Gaganyaan during which DRDOs various laboratories will tailor their defence capabilities to suit the needs of ISRO's human space mission with critical human-centric systems and technologies like space grade food, crew healthcare, radiation measurement and protection, parachutes for the safe recovery of the crew module and fire suppression system etc. Kalyani Group is developing the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System.
DRDO with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), under the Advance Assessment Technology and Commercialisation Programme, is helping Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) to keep Dal Lake clean by providing low cost biodigesters for the treatment of human excreta, animal waste disposal, grey water and kitchen waste release that works fine in ambient as well as sub zero temperature which are also supplied to Indian Railways.
Development cum Production Partner programme
In order to incorporate private enterprises from the very beginning of design and development and promote smoother manufacturing once systems are ready, DRDO has implemented Development cum Production Partner programme (DcPP). As part of Make In India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, DRDO under DcPP allowed handholding of domestic private sector industries to improve their development and production cycle of complex defence systems.
VL-SRSAM and Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System became some of the successful projects of this programme. In 2021, DcPP led to private sector participation for the VL-SRSAM, which was one of the first missile programmes that allowed private sector participation.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on 17 December 2021, secured an order for manufacturing, assembly, integration, testing and supply of DRDO Abhyas from Aeronautical Development Establishment. The order will be completed under DcPP with a private sector industry.
On 16 December 2021, Ashok Leyland signed partnership agreement with Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment to develop 600 hp engine for Future Combat Vehicle Programme. Instruments Research and Development Establishment on 27 December 2021 transferred technologies for developing border surveillance system to Indian private sector company Paras Defence and Space. The system consists of radar, and electro-optical sensors mounted on a pan tilt platform. On 28 December 2021, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences transferred technology to manufacture extreme cold weather clothing system to RHD Business Services, SBNX Innovation, Shiva Texyarn Limited, Kusumgar Corporates and Ginni Filaments Limited.
DRDO on 8 January 2024 launched Ugram, an assault rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO, which has been designed, developed and manufactured in collaboration with Dvipa Armour India Private Limited under DcPP. It's scheduled to be tested by the Indian Army. NASM-SR is manufactured by Adani Defence & Aerospace under DcPP. Larsen & Toubro is producing the Zorawar light tank under the DRDO's DcPP. L&T is manufacturing integrated life-support system-onboard oxygen generation system (ILSS-OBOGS) for aircraft such as HAL Tejas, HAL Tejas Mk2 from the Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory under DcPP.
Heads of DRDO
List of Director Generals (1948–2015) and Chairmen (since 2015) of DRDO.
Exchequer savings
In its Fifteenth Report, which was delivered to Parliament in December 2025, the Standing Committee on Defence recognized DRDO for making significant savings through domestic research and for making advances in next-generation defense technologies. The Committee observed that DRDO has made progress in the development of hypersonic technologies and missiles, citing Recommendation No. 17 of the report.
The panel noted that savings totaling ₹264,156 crore (US$27 billion) had been made possible by DRDO's indigenous research programs over the past five years starting in 2020. The General Defence Budget, Border Roads Organization, Indian Coast Guard, Defence Estates Organization, welfare of ex-servicemen, and DRDO are among the topics covered in the Fifteenth Report of the Standing Committee on Defence (2025–2026), which examines the union government's response to the observations and recommendations in the previous Committee's Seventh Report.