Science and Tech Part 2: DRDO, Tejas, Indigenisation

In one line: Science and Technology Part 2: Defence technology questions cluster around three files: the DRDO institution card, the flagship platforms (missiles,.

In fact, defence technology questions cluster around three files: the DRDO institution card, the flagship platforms (missiles, Tejas, ships). In fact, the indigenisation policy stack (positive lists, iDEX, exports). This note assembles all three.

Quick Answer: Defence technology questions cluster around three files: the DRDO institution card, the flagship platforms (missiles, Tejas, ships). Moreover, the indigenisation policy stack (positive lists, iDEX, exports). This note assembles all three.

Table of Contents.

1. The DRDO Card
2. Therefore, the Missile Ladder: IGMDP to the Modern Set
3. Tejas and the Air-Platform File
4. The Naval and Land Files
5. The Indigenisation Policy Stack
6. How Exams Probe This Topic
7. Quick Revision: One-Glance Facts

1. The DRDO Card.

• DRDO (1958) — ~50 labs nationwide, under the Ministry of Defence, spanning aeronautics to armaments to life sciences. Meanwhile, the critique tradition (delays, cost overruns — the “30-year LCA” complaint) balanced by the reform record (the 2020s lab consolidation and the increasing industry and startup partnerships).
• The reform frame. As a result, the division of labour emerging: DRDO as the deep tech R&D house, industry (including private majors Tata. Moreover, l&T, Adani-DRDO partnerships) as the production scale — the direction every mains answer should note.

2. The Missile Ladder: IGMDP to the Modern Set.

• In other words, the IGMDP legacy (1983, under A.P.J. Therefore, the five: Prithvi (SRBM), Trishul , Akash (the in service SAM), Nag (ATGM, the Helina variant), Agni — the range ladder culminating in Agni-5 (~5. 000+ km) and the 2024 Mission Divyastra — India’s first MIRV test (multiple independently targetable warheads).
• Notably, the modern set.** BrahMos — the India-Russia supersonic cruise JV with air/sea/submarine variants, extended range, and the 2022 Philippines export (~$375 million, the first). Meanwhile, the K-family SLBMs (K-4 tested from Arihant class boats — the nuclear triad’s sea leg). Pinaka guided multi barrel rockets (exported to Armenia). As a result, astra BVR air-to air; the QRSAM/VL-SRSAM air defence family; the DRDO’s D4 anti drone system** — the current tier answer to the drone threat.
• The import complement. Indeed, the S-400 (2018 deal, Russian; deliveries 2021-24; the CAATSA question — IR Part 3’s cross-link) alongside the indigenous MRSAM .

3. Tejas and the Air-Platform File.

• Specifically, the LCA story.** Tejas — the ADA-designed (DRDO family), HAL-Bengaluru built fighter: the 2016 first squadron (IOC), 2019 FOC. In other words, orders: 83 (2021, ~₹48,000 crore) + 97 (2024, ~₹65,000 crore) Mark-1A jets** — with delivery slips and the GE-F414 engine supply friction as the honest current caveat.
• Similarly, the next generation.** AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) — the 5.5-generation stealth programme, Cabinet cleared March 2024 (~₹62,000 crore). Notably, the LCA Mk2 (powered by the GE-HAL F414 co production — the US-file tie). The TEDBF carrier fighter; Prachand** — the Light Combat Helicopter (inducted 2022; a 156-unit order in 2025).
• The engine gap. Overall, the indigenous Kaveri engine’s decades long travail (revived via the Safran partnership talks) — the standing critique: airframes indigenised, engines and sensors still imported.

4. The Naval and Land Files.

• Consequently, the carriers and submarines.** INS Vikrant (commissioned 2022 — India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, Cochin Shipyard). Indeed, the Kalvari class Scorpenes (P-75) ; the long pending P-75(I) line and the DRDO’s indigenous AIP retrofit; the nuclear line — Arihant class SSBNs (INS Arighaat commissioned 2024) and the approved six-SSN** programme.
• The surface and land. Furthermore, the P-15B destroyers (Visakhapatnam-class) and P-17A frigates (Nilgiri-class). Specifically, on land: Arjun Mk1A (118 ordered 2021), the ATAGS towed artillery (the indigenous flagship), the Pinaka — the platform list to name-drop.

5. The Indigenisation Policy Stack.

• Similarly, the policy card.** DAP 2020 (the procurement procedure: Buy-Indian-first, the IDDM category — indigenously designed and manufactured at the top). The positive indigenisation lists (five lists, 2020-22, ~400+ items with import embargo timelines)**. Overall, defence corridors (Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 2018); the FDI liberalisation (74% automatic, 100% approval route).
• Consequently, the instruments.** iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence, 2018) — the startup innovation channel with 400+ contracts. The DRDO’s Technology Development Fund**; the Make-I/Make-II industry-R&D categories.
• The export record.** Defence exports ~₹21,000 crore in 2023-24 (~$2.6 bn) against a ₹50,000-crore target by 2029** — the trajectory to cite. Destinations from the Philippines (BrahMos) to Armenia (Pinaka, ATAGS). The domestic share of defence procurement rising to ~75% of capital orders (official claim) — verify current figures before the exam.

6. How Exams Probe This Topic.

• Prelims: the IGMDP five; Agni-5 MIRV 2024; BrahMos variants and export; Tejas Mk1A orders; AMCA 2024; Vikrant 2022; Arihant-class; iDEX 2018; the five positive lists; exports ₹21,000 crore; DAP-2020’s IDDM.
• Mains: “From import dependence to design-and export: trace India’s defence indigenisation — the evidence and the gaps (engines, sensors)”. “DRDO’s delays reflect deep tech ecosystem gaps — evaluate with the reform agenda (iDEX, private R&D)”. “Rising defence exports prove strategic autonomy — critically examine (imported content and FDI caveats).”

7. Quick Revision: One-Glance Facts.

• 1958; ~50 labs; the Kalam IGMDP 1983.
• IGMDP five; Agni-5 MIRV 2024; BrahMos (Philippines export); K-4 triad; Pinaka-Armenia.
• Tejas Mk1A (83+97 orders); AMCA 2024 (₹62,000 crore); Prachand; the Kaveri gap.
• Vikrant 2022; Kalvari/P-75(I); Arihant and the SSN approval.
• DAP-2020 IDDM; five positive lists; iDEX 2018; corridors; exports ₹21,000 crore 2023-24; FDI 74/100.

The defence file is three cards and a policy: the missile ladder, the Tejas-AMCA pipeline, the naval builds, and the indigenisation stack. The engine and sensors dependence is the honest gap. The export rise is the proof — that balance carries the mains answer.

The Procurement-Arithmetic (The Money-Layer).

The quantitative file of indigenisation. The defence budget stands at ~₹6.5-6.8 lakh crore (2025-26), with capital expenditure around ₹1.4-1.8 lakh crore. Domestic procurement targets ~75% of the capital head — verify the achieved 2023-24 share before the exam. The export trajectory: from ~₹686 crore in 2013-14 to ₹21. 000-plus crore in 2023-24 — a 30x decade — with the ₹50,000-crore 2029 target and ~90 destination countries. The import bill’s standing: India remains the world’s top arms importer by SIPRI’s rank. Though the share shows a modest decline — the combined effect of diversification and indigenous production. These four numbers are the quantitative spine of any ‘evaluate Atmanirbharta’ answer.

The Platform-Gap-File (The Honest-Deficits).

the indigenisation’s the unresolved list the mains’ the critical-half: the engine’s the dependence (the Kaveri’s the decades and the 2024-25’s the Safran the partnership the revival the F414 and the GE-HAL’s the interim the combat and the aero-engine’s the last-frontier). The the sensors and the avionics (the radar’s and the EW’s the imported cores the Asmi? no — the the Israel’s and the France’s the systems the desi’s the integration the not the source). The the ammunition and the spares (the war’s the lesson the emergency powers and the 2022-25’s the scales the stock’s the depth the private’s the entry). And the the submarine’s and the naval’s the programmes (the P-75’s the delay and the P-75I’s the single-bidder’s the saga the AIP’s and the SSN’s the approval’s the long-arc). Four-deficits’ the honest list the “the gaps in the self-reliance”-the complete-answer.

The Export-Case Study (One Paragraph, Fully Worked).

The BrahMos-Philippines export (2022, ~$375 million) deserves its own paragraph in any answer because it compresses the entire indigenisation story: the product is a joint venture matured over decades into a co produced platform. The buyer chose it over Chinese alternatives in a direct competitive contest. The contract includes follow on ammunition and maintenance — the lifecycle revenue that raw hardware numbers miss. And the geopolitics (South China Sea deterrence) made India’s defence industrial policy an instrument of strategic partnership. Since then, the Pinaka to Armenia, the Akash interest from Southeast Asia and the African small arms and ammunition deals have followed the same template: competitive product, financing arranged, strategic context enabling. One case, four lessons — co development matures into export, exports prove quality, lifecycle contracts build defence industrial ties. Strategic demand does the marketing no trade fair can.

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Frequently Asked Questions.

What should you know about 1. The DRDO Card?

DRDO (1958) — ~50 labs nationwide, under the Ministry of Defence, spanning aeronautics to armaments to life sciences. The critique tradition (delays, cost overruns — the “30-year LCA” complaint) balanced by the reform record (the 2020s lab consolidation and the increasing industry and startup partnerships).

What should you know about 2. The Missile Ladder: IGMDP to the Modern Set?

The IGMDP legacy (1983, under A.P.J. The five: Prithvi (SRBM), Trishul , Akash (the in service SAM), Nag (ATGM, the Helina variant), Agni — the range ladder culminating in Agni-5 (~5. 000+ km) and the 2024 Mission Divyastra — India’s first MIRV test (multiple independently targetable warheads).

What should you know about 3. Tejas and the Air-Platform File?

The LCA story.** Tejas — the ADA-designed (DRDO family), HAL-Bengaluru built fighter: the 2016 first squadron (IOC), 2019 FOC. Orders: 83 (2021, ~₹48,000 crore) + 97 (2024, ~₹65,000 crore) Mark-1A jets** — with delivery slips and the GE-F414 engine supply friction as the honest current caveat. The next generation.** AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) — the 5.5-generation stealth programme, Cabinet cleared March 2024 (~₹62,000 crore). The LCA Mk2 (powered by the GE-HAL F414 co production — the US-file tie). The TEDBF carrier fighter; Prachand** — the Light Combat Helicopter (inducted 2022; a 156-unit order in 2025).

What should you know about 4. The Naval and Land Files?

The carriers and submarines.** INS Vikrant (commissioned 2022 — India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, Cochin Shipyard). The Kalvari class Scorpenes (P-75) ; the long pending P-75(I) line and the DRDO’s indigenous AIP retrofit; the nuclear line — Arihant class SSBNs (INS Arighaat commissioned 2024) and the approved six-SSN** programme.

What should you know about 5. The Indigenisation Policy Stack?

The policy card.** DAP 2020 (the procurement procedure: Buy-Indian-first, the IDDM category — indigenously designed and manufactured at the top). The positive indigenisation lists (five lists, 2020-22, ~400+ items with import embargo timelines)**. Defence corridors (Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 2018); the FDI liberalisation (74% automatic, 100% approval route).

Related reading: Science and Tech Part 1: Aryabhata to Gaganyaan · Science and Tech Part 3: GM Crops — Bt to Mustard · Science and Tech Part 4: Genome India and Bio-E3 · Science and Tech Part 6: SERB, ANRF, Research Ecosystem · Science and Tech Part 7: Patents, GI, Compulsory Licences · Science and Tech Part 8: Blue Economy, Deep Ocean

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