India selects 7 new startups under Technology Development Fund to build next-generation technologies for aerospace and defence sectors

New Delhi, July 11: The government on Thursday awarded seven new projects to startups under the Technology Development Fund scheme for various needs of the Armed Forces and the aviation and defence sectors. The move is aimed at supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and startups in the defence and aviation sectors, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) said.

“The development of indigenous technologies will strengthen the military-industrial ecosystem,” it added. One such project aims to develop an indigenous toolkit for training pilot simulators in realistic scenarios to aid in full mission planning and large-force engagement. The project has been awarded to Noida-based startup Oxygen 2 Innovation. Another project is for an underwater unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It involves versatile naval battlefield accessories that can be deployed in multiple combat roles. India aims to make progress in quantum technology, artificial intelligence, semiconductor and critical metals sectors in collaboration with US under Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Union Minister for Energy Dr Jitendra Singh

“The objective is Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). The project has been awarded to Sagar Defence Engineering Pvt Ltd, Pune,” said the DRDO, which comes under the Ministry of Defence. The project, titled ‘Long Range Remotely Operated Vehicles for Detection and Neutralisation’, aims to develop dual-use systems that can detect, classify, locate and neutralise underwater objects while keeping key assets away from the suspected operational area.

The project has been awarded to IROV Technologies Pvt Ltd, Kochi. Another project, ‘Ice Detection Sensor for Aircraft’, aims to develop in-flight detection of icing caused by supercooled water droplets that freeze on impact with the external surfaces of the aircraft and are used by the aircraft to activate the anti-icing mechanism. “It has been awarded to Craftlogic Labs Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru,” the DRDO said.

The ‘Radar Signal Processor with Active Antenna Array Simulator’ will enable deployment of multiple target systems for testing and evaluating multiple short-range airborne weapon systems. “It serves as a basic building block for larger radar systems. The project has been approved by Data Pattern (India) Limited, Chennai,” according to the government.

The project “Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System-based Timing Acquisition & Dissemination System” has been approved by Accord Software & Systems, Bengaluru. Its objective is to enable indigenization of time acquisition and dissemination system, use Indian Constellation for time acquisition and develop customized and flexible timing system as per the coverage requirements. Job Creation in India: 12.5 Crore jobs created in India from 2014 to 2023. As per the SBI study, there was a four-fold increase from 2.9 Crore jobs created in India from 2004 to 2023.

Coimbatore-based startup Alohatech has been awarded a project to develop processes for manufacturing conductive yarns and fabrics using graphene nanomaterials and conductive inks. The result will be advanced electronic textiles, leveraging the inherent advantages in practical apparel applications, the DRDO said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on July 11, 2024 1:58 PM India Time. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com.)