Overview
- DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat issued an Expression of Interest on Wednesday inviting Indian private companies to register as development‑cum‑production partners for projects in its Missile and Strategic Systems cluster.
- Applicants must meet strict financial and technical thresholds, including a minimum turnover of about Rs 100 crore, net worth equal to at least 5% of project value, profitability in recent years, aerospace quality systems and licences to handle explosives.
- Shortlisted firms will face expert on‑site inspections and interviews and will be embedded with DRDO teams to work on design, integration, qualification and prototype testing before any production role is assigned.
- DRDO will provide non‑exclusive, free technology transfer after a programme’s development phase but will restrict transfers of explosives, propellants and pyrotechnic know‑how to firms that hold the required clearances.
- If projects clear development and are ordered in volume by the services, DRDO plans to issue production tenders with at least two partners per project, a step that could shift high‑end strategic manufacture away from reliance on public sector firms.