The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with IIT Delhi and various industries, has formalized ten tripartite agreements aimed at the development and manufacturing of advanced defense technologies, including a lightweight bulletproof jacket known as ABHED, as well as indigenous polymeric ballistic materials.
These agreements were established during an event hosted by the DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) at IIT Delhi on a recent Thursday. The Transfer of Technology (TOT) for the lightweight bullet-resistant jacket (ABHED – Advanced Ballistic High Energy Defeat) was officially handed over to the defense public sector unit, MIDHANI (Mishra Dhatu Nigam), along with private sector companies such as SMPP Pvt Ltd, AR Polymers, and MKU, as announced by the Ministry of Defence.
Additionally, a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) focused on the development of indigenous ballistic material was signed with Reliance Industries Ltd. Moreover, another MoA concerning limited series production of extreme cold-weather clothing was finalized with Aeronav Industrial Safety Appliance, Arnaf Industries Ltd, and Arrow Garments, as stated by the Ministry.
For the limited series production of extreme heat protective clothing, an agreement was reached with Arrow Garments, Aeronav Industrial Safety Appliance, and Katalyst TECHTEX Ltd, further elaborating the collaborative efforts.
These agreements were signed in the presence of key figures such as Dr. Samir V Kamat, Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO; Prof Rangan Banerjee, Director of IIT Delhi; and representatives from the industry.
To foster collaboration between academia and industry within defense research and development, DRDO implemented the Long Term Directed Research Policy of the Ministry of Defence. As part of this initiative, DIA-CoEs focus on directed research to develop advanced defense technologies.
Aligned with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, these centers capitalize on the expertise of faculty and researchers at the institute, in conjunction with DRDO laboratories and Indian industries, to address national security requirements.
DIA-CoEs are supported by the Directorate of Futuristic Technology Management (DFTM) under the Technology Management cluster of DRDO. The Joint Advanced Technology Centre of DRDO, established in 2017 at IIT Delhi, has now been transformed into a DIA-CoE to involve Indian industry more deeply in translating knowledge into high-tech readiness.
Over the last seven years, approximately 50 research projects have been initiated across five technology verticals, with a total investment of ₹375 crore from DRDO. The Ministry of Defence emphasized that the focus of these projects has been on innovations centered around soldiers, including high-performance lightweight body armor, advanced materials for aerostats, smart soldier jackets, terahertz technology for spectroscopy, firefighter heat protection gear, and extreme cold-weather jackets.
