India Moves from Defence Importer to Exporter, says former DRDO scientist
India has moved from relying on defence imports to becoming a producer and exporter of advanced defence technologies, Padma Shri awardee and former DRDO Scientist Prahlada Rama Rao said here on Tuesday.
Delivering the 13th Dr. V. Bhujanga Rao Endowment Lecture at GITAM Deemed to be University, Dr. Rao said indigenous systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), AI-powered surveillance platforms, electronic warfare systems, the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher, and the BrahMos and Akash missile systems are gaining acceptance in global markets. GITAM organised the lecture in collaboration with the Condition Monitoring Society of India (CMSI).
Recalling his tenure as Project Director of the Akash Missile Programme, Dr. Rao said the surface-to-air missile system was developed over 15 years by more than 1,000 scientists across 12 DRDO laboratories. It has demonstrated its operational capability, including during Operation Sindhoor, and emerged as one of the world’s most cost-effective surface-to-air defence systems, attracting export interest, he said.
Dr. Rao said the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had evolved into a national innovation platform by bringing together academia, industry, start-ups and public sector undertakings. Supported by thousands of MSMEs, the ecosystem has strengthened indigenous defence manufacturing and reduced dependence on imports, he added.
Emphasising the importance of innovation, Dr. Rao said achieving the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and making India a developed nation by 2047 would require sustained collaboration among research institutions, industry and young innovators.
Dr. Rao has made significant contributions to India’s strategic missile programmes, including Prithvi, Agni, Nag, and BrahMos, and has also led the Akash Missile Programme.
Earlier, Dr. V. Bhujanga Rao, Chairman of the KIMS Foundation and Research Centre and former Director General of the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory, spoke on the importance of condition monitoring technologies in the industrial and defence sectors.
GITAM Pro Vice-Chancellor Y. Gouthama Rao, CMSI President P.V.S. Ganesh Kumar, School of Core Engineering Director Bharani Chandra Kumar, Mechanical Engineering Department Head Rajeswara Rao, along with scientists, faculty members, research scholars and students, attended the programme.