DRDO Full Form

DRDO is the Ministry of Defence’s research and development wing, having the vision of empowering India using advanced technologies and is on a mission to achieve autonomy in critical defence technologies and systems while also providing state-of-the-art weapon systems and equipment to our armed forces in compliance with the three Services’ requirements. The DRDO’s pursuit of self-reliance, successful indigenous development and production of strategic systems and platforms have led to the invention and development of the latest Agni and Prithvi missile series, Tejas light combat aircraft, Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher, Akash air defence system and a wide range of radars and electronic warfare systems among others. These developments have given India’s military forces and defence sector an edge over the others, providing crucial leverage.

History

• In 1958, the Indian Army’s Technical Development Establishments (TDEs) and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTDP) consolidated to become the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with the Defence Science Organisation (DSO). At that time, DRDO was a small organisation with just ten sites or laboratories. The organisation has expanded in a multitude of ways over the years, including the number of subject fields, labs, accomplishments, and prominence
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is currently a network of over 50 laboratories dedicated to the development of defence technologies in the fields of aeronautics, armaments, electronics, combat vehicles, Instrumentation, missiles, sophisticated computers and simulation, specific materials, naval systems, life sciences, training, information systems, and agriculture systems. Currently, the organisation is developing and working on some major development programs for missiles, weapons, light fighter aircraft, radars, electronic warfare systems, and other technologies and have already achieved substantial progress in several of these areas

Mission

The mission of DRDO is to create, construct, and lead the development of cutting-edge sensors, weapon systems, platforms, and related equipment for the Defence Services of India. Following are the mission statements that DRDO is working upon: 

• To assist the defence services of India with technology solutions to improve combat effectiveness and personnel well-being
• To build a strong domestic technological foundation, develop infrastructure and a committed as well as a quality workforce

Issues with DRDO

• The fiscal year of 2016-17 saw the Standing Committee on Defence raising a worry over the insufficient funding support for the DRDO’s ongoing initiatives
• The committee added that the DRDO’s portion of the total defence budget was 5.79 per cent in 2011-12, but dropped to 5.34 per cent in 2013-14
• Major initiatives requiring futuristic technology have been placed on hold by the DRDO due to the insufficient funding support provided by the government
• Due to a lack of good cooperation with the armed forces, the DRDO also has insufficient manpower in vital sectors
• The image of DRDO has been deteriorated by cost overruns and lengthy delays
• A study conducted by CAG indicated that not all of the DRDO’s technology was of appropriate quality for the use of the military. The items did not match their standards and requirements and hence, in the previous 15 years, the three services have rejected 70 per cent of the products manufactured at the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune, costing a total of Rs 320 crore
• The technological development organisation is often blamed for the fact that over 97 per cent of the army’s air defence is outdated and is causing trouble, as was emphasised by General V.K. Singh
• Instead of concentrating on cutting-edge technology as stated in the mission, the DRDO is working with World War II weaponry
• The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in 2011 called out the capabilities of  DRDO. The report said that based upon the historic fact, the organisation is infamous for its lengthy projects and expensive budgets. If the organisation wants to improve its image, it needs to approve projects timelines and budget after carefully assessing the available technologies and realistic cost structure

Conclusion

DRDO is the extension of the Ministry of Defence for the purpose of research and development and enabling Indian defence via cutting-edge technology and supplying the armed forces with state-of-the-art weapon systems and equipment. The mission statement of DRDO states that it exists to create, construct, and lead the development of cutting edge sensors, weapon systems, platforms, and related equipment for our Defense Services. Over the years, the DRDO has travelled a long way from just 10 sites/laboratories to the current over 50 laboratories working towards the general mission of making India self-reliant in producing futuristic defence technologies. However, major initiatives involving the development of these futuristic technologies have been placed on hold due to insufficient budgetary support by the government.