The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is expanding private-sector participation in advanced weapon manufacturing, with its Hyderabad-based Research Centre Imarat (RCI) inviting eligible Indian companies to participate in the development and production of tactical missiles and guided munitions.
The initiative is being pursued through the Development-cum-Production Partner framework, under which selected private firms can work alongside DRDO during development and subsequently support production. The approach is intended to build additional manufacturing capacity within India and improve the ability to scale up supplies when required.
The proposed collaboration covers areas including tactical surface-to-air missile systems, air-to-air missile programmes such as Astra, and various guided-munition technologies. Greater participation from domestic industry is expected to strengthen the wider supply chain supporting these critical weapon systems.
RCI has set financial and technical conditions for companies seeking participation. Eligible firms need to demonstrate a minimum annual turnover of ₹100 crore, a net worth of ₹34 crore and a credit rating of BBB or higher. Companies must also possess the required industrial licences and meet specified safety and explosives-handling requirements.
Another key requirement is certification under DRDO’s SAMAR assessment mechanism. The certification is intended to establish whether prospective industry partners possess the capabilities and standards necessary to undertake sensitive defence development and manufacturing work.
The move comes as India continues to broaden its defence industrial base and increase the role of private companies in the production of sophisticated military equipment. DRDO’s Development-cum-Production Partner model has already been used to bring private industry into several complex defence programmes.
For India, greater private-sector involvement in missile and guided-weapon production could help diversify manufacturing capacity, strengthen domestic supply chains and support the country’s objective of reducing dependence on imported defence equipment.
RCI, which specialises in missile guidance, avionics and related technologies, is expected to play an important role in these industry partnerships. The latest initiative represents another step towards building a larger and more resilient indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem.
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