DRDO to Showcase Advanced Defence Systems at Bihar Technology Exhibition

The Defence Research and Development Organisation will display cutting-edge technologies and advanced weapon systems at an upcoming exhibition in Bihar, the agency announced.

While specific system names and exhibition dates have not been detailed in initial advisories, DRDO’s participation underscores the organisation’s push to showcase indigenously developed platforms to military personnel, government officials, and industry stakeholders across India’s eastern region.

DRDO exhibitions typically feature a cross-section of the agency’s operational and developmental portfolio, spanning missile systems, electronic warfare equipment, unmanned platforms, radar technologies, and soldier modernisation kits. These events serve as key venues for demonstrating capability maturity and securing feedback from end-user commands on fielded and near-production systems.

Bihar has emerged as a strategically important region for defence industrial development. The state hosts DRDO facilities including the Patna-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), which focuses on ammunition and explosives technologies. Eastern Command headquarters in Kolkata oversees military operations across the region bordering China and Myanmar, making regional defence showcases particularly valuable for assessing local operational requirements.

The exhibition aligns with the government’s Make in India initiative and the broader push to reduce defence import dependence through accelerated indigenisation. Over the past five years, DRDO has transitioned several programmes from development to production status, including the Pinaka extended-range guided rocket system, the Akash air defence missile, and various autonomous systems for counter-insurgency operations.

Such regional exhibitions also provide platforms for DRDO to engage with private sector defence manufacturers and startups participating in the Defence Innovation Hub and iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) programmes. This collaborative ecosystem has become central to India’s defence modernisation strategy, particularly in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, drone swarms, and hypersonic research.

Eastern Command has been among the most active in field-testing emerging systems, given the operational environment in the Northeast and the evolving China border posture. DRDO exhibitions in peripheral regions thus serve dual purposes: showcasing technological capability and gathering real-world feedback from commanders managing complex security challenges.