DRDO Projects: In a visit the PM Modi’s Principal Secretary, Dr. PK Mishra, went to DRDO’s top lab in Bengaluru to look at India’s most advanced defence projects. This visit came just after Operation Sindoor, a secret military operation that targeted terror camps in Pakistan. The mission proved how far India’s forces can now reach. After this, India is now moving fast to build more of its own weapons. The government doesn’t want to just stop importing weapons. It now wants to build high-tech systems at home and also sell them to other countries.
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Dr. Mishra met with scientists working on India’s top projects like radar, hypersonic missiles, and electronic warfare. He asked for full updates, not just on the projects that are doing well but also the ones that are facing delays. Officials said he clearly told them to speed up the work and deliver the new weapons faster. His visit shows the growing push under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ plan and the big idea of ‘Sell to the World’, which is India’s new goal in defence exports.
The Ministry of Defence is already taking action on this. They removed over 400 defence systems and weapons from the import list.
DRDO Projects: New Weapons India
BrahMos-II missile
One of the most exciting projects is the BrahMos-II missile. It’s being made as a much faster and longer-range version of the BrahMos we already have. It can travel up to 1,500 km at eight times the speed of sound. India wants to launch this from land, ships, and even planes. Tests are expected to begin soon.
Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile
Another strong weapon under development is the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile. This one has been built to destroy powerful enemy ships, like aircraft carriers, from far away—more than 1,000 km. It’s built to beat jamming too, so it can still hit its target even in tricky situations.
AMCA
India is also building its own fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, called AMCA. This jet will have stealth shape, internal weapon space, and the ability to fly fast without using afterburners. Scientists plan to fly a test model by 2026, and if all goes well, full production might start around 2032.
Project Kusha
There’s also a big project for missile defence called Project Kusha. It’s being made to protect India from all kinds of aerial threats missiles, drones, and more. This system will have several layers of protection and will cover distances from 150 to 400 km. It’s being called India’s own version of the Russian S-400 system and should be ready in the next few years.
VSHORADS
For ground troops, India is making VSHORADS, a small shoulder-fired missile that can hit low-flying drones or helicopters up to 6 km away. The Indian Army has already asked for 5,000 of these. It’s very important for protecting soldiers in forward areas.
Rudram missiles
After the success of Rudram-1, work has started on Rudram-2 and Rudram-3. These are anti-radiation missiles made to destroy enemy radars. Rudram-2 will go up to 300 km and Rudram-3 could go beyond 550 km. These will be launched from fighter jets like the Su-30MKI and the AMCA.
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India is also working on powerful laser weapons. The project is called CLAWs, and it will use energy beams to shoot down drones, missiles, or mortars in the sky. This type of weapon is seen as a must for future battles.
Some Projects are Delayed
While many of these defence projects are going ahead quickly, some are still facing trouble.
GTX-35 Kaveri Engine: The Kaveri engine, which is supposed to power the AMCA jet, is not ready yet. India is still in talks with France’s Safran to develop it together.
Uttam AESA Radar: Another delayed system is the Uttam AESA radar. This radar is meant for fighter aircraft, but right now only 24 units can be made each year. DRDO is working with HAL and BEL to build a faster production method.
Light Tank Zorawar: India’s light tank called Zorawar is ready, but its cost has gone up. The main reason is the engine, which still comes from outside India. That delay has kept it from being sent to the army.
Warhawk AI: The Warhawk AI combat drone is one more ambitious plan. It’s being made to work fully on its own and fight battles with advanced sensors. But the software for mixing all the sensor data isn’t finished yet, so the drone might not be ready for full use until 2027.
