New Delhi: Equipping the defence forces with indigenous advanced technologies that rely on home-grown research has been the most significant consideration of DRDO Industry Academia-Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE), IIT Delhi. Pivotal resources were invested toward generating an innovation ecosystem that includes IIT Delhi academia, Indian industries and DRDO laboratory partners with a constant focus on defence technology needs for national security.
With this guiding objective about 50 research projects were initiated under five technology verticals alongside close supervision from the nation’s premier defence research organisation, DRDO.
Spearheaded by various IIT Delhi faculty and with active coordination from several DRDO Laboratories, DIA-CoE is addressing some of the niche technologies for the ‘soldier-in-the-field’. These include design and indigenisation of high performance and light weight Body Armour, high performance Aerostat and Airship Hull materials, Smart Soldier jacket, Terahertz technology for spectroscopy study of energetic material, Fire Fighter’s Extreme Heat Protection Jacket and high altitude Extreme Cold Weather Soldier’s Jacket.
Each of the research activity is planned with suitable soldier specific technology demonstrators ensuring higher technology readiness for technology infusion to futuristic advanced systems by DRDO including some possible civil applications.
In the pursuit of excellence, almost 100 faculty members, 200 research scholars and staffs were involved tirelessly at IIT Delhi to realise the dream of the nation to become self-reliant (Aatmanirbhar) in the domain of defence security of the nation.
The very first fruit of the seeds sown are now visible with the technology transfer and signing of various Memorandum of Agreements (MoA) with multiple industry partners for indigenisation of defence technologies.
- Transfer of Technology of Light weight Bullet Resistant Jacket (ABHED- Advanced Ballistic High Energy Defeat) to MIDHANI (Mishra Dhatu Nigam), Rohtak, SMPP Pvt Ltd, Delhi and AR Polymers (MKU), Kanpur
- MoA for development of indigenous Polymeric Ballistic Material with Reliance Industries Ltd, Vadodara
- MoA for limited series production of Extreme Cold Weather Clothing (-60°C Wind chill) with Aeronav Industrial Safety Appliance, Delhi, Arnaf Industries Ltd, Delhi and Arrow Garments, Tirupur
- MoA for limited series production of Extreme Heat Protective Clothing with Arrow Garments, Tirupur, Aeronav Industrial Safety Appliance, Delhi and Katalyst TECHTEX Ltd, Delhi
These agreements were signed during the Annual Convention of INAE on December 19, 2024 at IIT Delhi wherein Defence inister Rajnath Singh graced the inaugural session. The tripartite agreement exchange happened amongst Dr Samir V Kamat, Chairman DRDO; Prof Rangan Banerjee, Director IIT Delhi and industries. The agreement was signed by Prof Naresh Bhatnagar, Dean (R&D), Dr N Ranjana, Director FTM and industry reps in presence of Dr M H Rahaman, Director DIA-CoE, IIT Delhi, other senior dignitaries of DRDO and IIT Delhi.
ABHED (Advanced Ballistics for High Energy Defeat) Bullet Resistant Jacket developed by Prof Naresh Bhatnagar and team, which is one of the lightest BPJ of its kind in the world, meets all the necessary threat criteria as per BIS V & VI capability of stopping multiple shots. With such light weight BPJ, our Indian defence forces will be in a position to protect from adversaries threat with greater mobility and efficiency at the border area.
The centre has also matured many other critical technologies like High Power Diffractive Optical Element, Quantum Communication Technologies, Terahertz Technology for spectroscopy and Imaging, Brain Computer Interface technology towards Cognitive Robotics, Exoskeleton and many more.
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