Defence awareness

DRDO: Defence Research and Development Organisation

The scientists who design missiles, radars, tanks and aircraft for India.

Photo: DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi
DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi. Photo: Imahesh3847, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

DRDO is the research and development wing of the Ministry of Defence. Its scientists design and develop weapons and equipment for the three services, so that India depends less on imports.

  • FormedDRDO was formed in 1958 by joining small research bodies of the defence forces. Its headquarters is in New Delhi.
  • Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP)A programme begun in 1983, led by Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, that produced the missiles Prithvi, Agni, Akash, Nag and Trishul.
  • Some well-known DRDO productsMissiles such as Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Nag and Astra; the Arjun tank; the Pinaka rocket launcher; the Netra airborne early warning aircraft. The Tejas fighter was designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency, which works under DRDO. BrahMos is a joint venture with Russia.
  • Some of its laboratoriesDefence Research and Development Laboratory (Hyderabad), Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (Avadi), Armament Research and Development Establishment (Pune), Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (Visakhapatnam).

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