DRDO’s 67th Foundation Day

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) celebrated its 67th Foundation Day on January 2, 2025. Established in 1958, DRDO has grown from a small entity with 10 laboratories to a vast network of around 52 laboratories and 5 DRDO Young Scientist Laboratories (DYSLs) across India. These laboratories are dedicated to developing advanced defence technologies in various fields, including missiles, aircraft, combat vehicles, naval systems, electronics, and life sciences.

The event was marked by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh’s visit to DRDO Headquarters, where he interacted with senior scientists and officials. He appreciated DRDO’s achievements and called for increased collaboration with the private sector and start-ups to promote indigenous defence capabilities. Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth and DRDO Chairman Dr. Samir V. Kamat also participated in the event.

Key Highlights and Achievements

1. DRDO’s Mission: Empowering India’s Defense

• DRDO’s mission is to equip India’s armed forces with cutting-edge defence technologies.
• Focus on achieving self-reliance in critical defence technologies and reducing dependency on foreign imports.

2. DRDO’s Achievements: Safeguarding The Nation

• Some of the significant contributions made by DRDO include,
• Agni and Prithvi missile series: Capable of delivering nuclear warheads.
• Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas: India’s first indigenous fighter jet.
• Arjun Main Battle Tank: India’s advanced battle tank.
• INS Arihant: India’s first nuclear-powered submarine.
• Advanced radars and electronic warfare systems.
• Critical medical technologies and remote sensing technologies.

3. DRDO’s Future Endeavours

• DRDO is working on several new initiatives to stay ahead in defence technology, including,
• Hypersonic missiles.
• Directed energy weapons.
• Artificial intelligence.
• 5G network for the Indian military.
• Quantum computing.

4. Key Highlights of 67th Foundation Day Celebrations

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh visited DRDO Headquarters in New Delhi.
• He commended DRDO for developing indigenous defence capabilities and urged it to stay ahead of evolving technologies.
• Shri Rajnath Singh emphasized that 2025 is declared the ‘Year of Reforms’, and DRDO will play a crucial role in achieving the set objectives.
• He urged each DRDO lab to complete 2-3 critical projects by 2025 and have 100 such projects completed by the next foundation day.

5. Key Announcement By Raksha Mantri

• Collaboration with the Private Sector
• Increase technology transfer to private companies.
• 256 Licensing Agreements were signed in 2024 with Indian industries.
• Support for Start-ups
• Explore inclusion of start-ups in R&D efforts.
• Promote open days for interaction with the industry twice a month.
• Awareness and Youth Engagement
• Raise awareness among youth to contribute to nation-building.
• Encourage academia and industry collaborations to foster innovation.

6.DRDO’s Industry and Start-Up Initiatives

• Transfer of Technologies (ToTs)
• 1,950 ToTs handed over to Indian industries.
• 19 Development-cum-Production Partners chosen for mission-mode projects.
• Opening of Test Facilities
• DRDO test facilities were opened to private industries and DPSUs.
• Over 18,000 tests were carried out in the last three years, with 5,000 tests conducted in 2024.

7. Recognition of Achievements

• Shri Rajnath Singh felicitated the design team of the Long-Range Hypersonic Anti-Ship Missile on this occasion.

8. DRDO’s Vision For Future

• DRDO aims to become one of the world’s strongest R&D organisations by developing niche technologies.
• The focus is on creating a new ecosystem that promotes dual-use technologies for civilian applications.

Summary/Static	Details
Why in the news?	DRDO’s 67th Foundation Day
Established	1958
Number of Laboratories	52 DRDO labs + 5 Young Scientist Labs (DYSLs)
Mission	Empower India’s defence with cutting-edge technologies
Major Achievements	Agni & Prithvi missiles, LCA Tejas, Arjun Tank, INS Arihant, Radars, Medical tech
Future Initiatives	Hypersonic missiles, Directed energy weapons, AI, 5G, Quantum computing
Key Speaker	Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh
Key Announcements	– Collaboration with private sector and start-ups – 2025 declared as ‘Year of Reforms’ – Labs to complete 100 critical projects by next foundation day
Technology Transfers	1,950 ToTs handed over to Indian industries
Tests Conducted	18,000 tests in 3 years; 5,000 tests in 2024
Recognition	Felicitation of Long-Range Hypersonic Anti-Ship Missile design team
Vision	Make DRDO a world-leading R&D organisation by focusing on niche technologies