DRDO showcases indigenous defence technologies at Africa Aerospace and Defence Expo in South Africa

In a post on X on Wednesday, DRDO said it is participating in the exhibition from September 16-20 at Hangar 2, Stall 2W 15, highlighting India's indigenous defence capabilities and its commitment to strengthening international defence cooperation.

https://x.com/DRDO_India/status/2100100907946156256

In the post, DRDO said its participation "highlights Indias indigenous defence capabilities and commitment to strengthen international defence cooperation."

As per the video in the post, the major systems and technologies on display include the Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR), Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&C), Wheeled CBRN Reconnaissance Vehicle and PDDS-X (Portable Diver Detection Sonar).

The exhibition also features the Astra Mk 1 Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile, Akash-NG Surface-to-Air Missile, Low Frequency Variable Depth Sonar (LFVDS) and technologies for an Active Protection System.

According to the official website of the Africa Aerospace and Defence Expo, AAD is the only aerospace and defence expo in Africa that combines a trade exhibition with an air show. The biennial event is held in the City of Tshwane, South Africa's administrative capital, and showcases air, land and sea technologies.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday in the national capital, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled key policy initiatives during VIMARSH, a DRDO-Industry Synergy Meet.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the initiatives include a comprehensive framework to lower technical and financial entry barriers for MSMEs & deep-tech start-ups, offering direct funding, incubation support and dedicated access to DRDO testing facilities. A standardised, secure framework for sharing DRDO-developed software source codes with licensee industries was also launched to accelerate software-defined defence capabilities and obsolescence management.

Nine (09) Licensing Agreements for Transfer of Technology (LAToTS) were handed over to 13 manufacturing partners in the presence of Raksha Mantri to enable commercial production of state-of-the-art systems, as per the release.

According to the release, strategic MoUs were also formally exchanged with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB) to expand industry outreach and foster grassroots participation.

DRDO also signed a contract with the Quality Council of India for the System for Advanced Manufacturing Assessment and Rating (SAMAR) version 2.0 to benchmark the manufacturing maturity of domestic defence enterprises.

In his address, the Defence Minister asserted that the DRDO-Industry collaboration should no longer be limited to production alone, but expanded across the entire value chain encompassing research, design, testing, certification, and manufacturing to transform India into a global hub for defence manufacturing.

DRDO possesses knowledge and technology, the industry has scale and manufacturing capability, start-ups bring innovation and agility, and the youth hold the dream of a New India. When these four forces converge and move forward together, no goal is impossible, he said.

Rajnath Singh underlined that the goal of Viksit Bharat is not merely to build an economically strong nation, but to also make it technologically self-reliant, socially inclusive, environmentally sustainable, and strategically secure.

By 2047, we must achieve Aatmanirbharta in critical technologies, a significant increase in indigenous content, multi-fold growth in defence exports, and a robust presence for India in global supply chains, he said. (ANI)