DRDO Strategic Success, Conventional Laggard
- rkbhonsle
- 18 minutes ago
- 5 min read
DRDOs many achievements in developing strategic systems including the latest Laser DEW need to be celebrated, this should spur the organization as well as armed forces and Ministry of Defence to cover the deficits in developing conventional systems.
In a cryptic post on the platform X, the Defence Research and Development Organisation [DRDO] announced that, “CHESS DRDO conducted a successful field demonstration of the Land version of Vehicle mounted Laser Directed Weapon (DEW) MK-II(A) at Kurnool today. It defeated the fixed wing UAV and Swarm Drones successfully causing structural damage and disable the surveillance sensors. With this successful trial country has joined the exclusive club of the Global powers who possess the high-power Laser DEW System.”
"As far as I know, it is the United States, Russia and China that have demonstrated this capability. Israel is also working on similar capabilities, I would say we are the fourth or fifth country in the world to demonstrate this system," DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat told news agency ANI.
"This is just the beginning of the journey. The synergy that this lab has achieved with other DRDO labs, industry and academia, I am sure we will reach our destination soon... We are also working on other high energy systems like high energy microwaves and electromagnetic pulse. So we are working on several technologies that will give us Star Wars capability. What you saw today was one of the components of Star Wars technologies," Mr. Kamat said.
The DRDO’s achievements in developing strategic weapons systems are impressive and the Laser counter UAS system will be added to this record. The DRDO has developed the entire series of strategic missile systems from the Prithvi to the Agni series, thus enhancing India’s strategic deterrence.
The organization has also developed the K series of submarine launched ballistic missile [SLBM] systems with a successful test of K 4 - range of 3500 kms with more in the offing.
Another notable success is the anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) tested during Mission Shakti in March 2019. The ASAT missile targeted and destroyed a live satellite in low Earth orbit, capability to neutralize space-based threats. This achievement placed India among the few nations with operational ASAT capabilities, alongside the United States, Russia, and China.
The ASAT system is part of India's broader strategy to strengthen its space defense and ensure the security of its assets in orbit. It also highlighted DRDO's expertise in advanced missile technology and strategic defense systems.
Record on Developing Conventional Weapons systems
While DRDO has achieved significant success in development of strategic weapons systems like ballistic and cruise missiles, it faces several challenges and shortcomings in the development of conventional weapons systems. The reasons for the same are manifold.
Historically, a significant portion of DRDO's resources, funding, and talent has been directed towards strategic and high-technology areas, often driven by the need for nuclear deterrence and long-range power projection. This had become a necessity due to technology denial regimes which necessitated reliance on indigenous systems.
Conventional weapons development received relatively lower priority and resource allocation compared to the strategic programs.
Modern conventional warfare demands sophisticated technologies in areas like precision munitions, advanced materials for small arms and armor, sensor fusion, battlefield management systems, and network-centric warfare capabilities.
Developing indigenous expertise in all these diverse fields simultaneously can be challenging.
India has historically relied heavily on imports for many conventional weapon systems. While Transfer of Technology (ToT) agreements exist, the absorption and mastery of these technologies for indigenous development and innovation can be a lengthy and complex process.
DRDO has been criticized for not always effectively leveraging ToT to build independent design and manufacturing capabilities.
DRDO's organizational structure and bureaucratic processes can lead to delays in project execution, requirement changes during development, and a lack of agility in responding to evolving needs of the armed forces.
Effective development requires close coordination between DRDO, the armed forces (the end-users), and the domestic defense industry. Gaps in communication, differing perspectives on requirements, and issues with technology transfer to industry hindered progress.
While the private sector's involvement in Indian defense production is increasing, it still lags in terms of capability to design and produce complete advanced conventional weapon systems independently. DRDO's ability to translate its R&D into large-scale production depends on a strong and capable domestic industry.
Even when DRDO develops promising conventional weapon technologies, their successful and timely induction into service requires the Indian industry to effectively absorb these technologies and manufacture them at scale and with consistent quality. This has often been a bottleneck.
The requirements of the armed forces for conventional weapons can evolve rapidly due to changing threat perceptions and advancements in military technology globally. DRDO needs to be agile enough to adapt its development programs accordingly.
Conventional weapons need to meet stringent performance and reliability standards for battlefield use. Protracted testing phases and quality control issues can sometimes delay the induction of DRDO-developed systems.
Of late the rate of success of the DRDO has improved with development of systems such as the ATAGS, multi-barrel rocket launchers (Pinaka) and Akash Air Defence System. The Zorawar light tank is also emerging as a potential success story presently in trial stage.
Other successes of the DRDO have been with foreign collaboration such as the LRSAM and the MRSAM systems developed with technology support from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
Going Forward
Going forward the DRDO while continuing focus on strategic systems as these cannot be imported and thus must be exclusively developed indigenously should improve record on management of R & D for conventional weapons.
Towards this end forward integration with the armed forces is essential by involving the users in the development feedback loop on a continuous basis.
Users in turn need to be clear of the service QRs and not resort to frequent reviews, the Arjun tank being a classic case
For technology inputs collaborations with foreign companies assume importance with attempts now being made for developing the aero engines for fixed wing as well as for rotary wing aircraft.
Funding remains a crucial issue as the DRDO budget languishes. For instance, For the financial year 2025-26, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been allocated ₹26,816.82 crore, marking a 12.41% increase from the previous fiscal year.
DRDO's allocation accounts for approximately 3.93% of the total defence budget for 2025-26 of ₹6,81,210.27 crore. Doubling the DRDO budget is unlikely to strain India’s fiscal stability while adding to long term strategic interests and thus needs to be pursued with vigour.
Talent scouting and retention is another critical issue for which advanced human resources management practices will have to be adopted forming special project management teams within the technology clusters inured from organizational politics.
Many of these suggestions have been made in the past and are summarized here with the hope that these will be addressed seriously in the days ahead.
