The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has invited Indian companies to participate in the development and production of missile and guided weapon systems, giving domestic industry a larger role in projects under its Missiles and Strategic Systems cluster.

The initiative is being led by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, which is seeking potential Development-cum-Production Partners (DcPPs). The selected firms could eventually support engineering, system integration, production and life-cycle support for DRDO-developed systems.

The move forms part of India's broader effort to strengthen indigenous defence manufacturing and build domestic capabilities for complex weapons rather than relying heavily on imports.

Private Firms Get Bigger Role

Under the proposed arrangement, companies will participate beyond the conventional supplier role.

Selected firms would be expected to establish the infrastructure, trained manpower and technical capabilities needed to assemble and integrate systems developed by DRDO. They would also need to demonstrate adequate quality-control and production capabilities.

After development and user trials are completed, the selected companies could manufacture the systems through DRDO-approved supply chains, subject to project-specific requirements.

DRDO's established DcPP model already follows this approach. The organisation's official documentation describes DcPPs as industry partners involved from development through production and subsequent life-cycle support.

Missile Manufacturing In Focus

RCI is a key DRDO laboratory under the Missiles and Strategic Systems cluster. The organisation's official structure lists RCI alongside other major missile-development laboratories, including the Defence Research and Development Laboratory and Integrated Test Range.

The expanded industry participation comes as India continues to develop and test indigenous missile and precision-guided weapon technologies.

Recent DRDO programmes demonstrate the growing importance of private companies in this ecosystem. In May, DRDO completed development trials of the UAV-Launched Precision Guided Missile-V3 and identified Bharat Dynamics Limited and Adani Defence Systems and Technologies Limited as production agencies.

Production Capability Matters

Companies seeking participation must demonstrate the ability to handle complex defence-system integration and eventual large-scale manufacturing.

The requirements outlined in the reported EOI include technical manpower, infrastructure and established quality-assurance systems. Firms also need the financial strength to undertake projects involving substantial development and production commitments.

The criteria are intended to ensure that selected companies can move from prototype development to reliable serial production without creating bottlenecks in the supply chain.

Financial Filters Apply

The EOI includes financial and operational eligibility conditions for prospective participants.

Applicants are required to demonstrate an annual turnover of at least ₹100 crore, while the minimum net-worth requirement is linked to the value of the relevant project. Companies must also have recorded profits in at least two of the previous five years.

Creditworthiness and quality-management systems form another part of the assessment. Firms are expected to maintain dedicated quality-assurance and quality-control functions and hold recognised certifications relevant to defence manufacturing.

These requirements are designed to narrow participation to companies capable of supporting critical defence programmes over several years.

Industry Already Supports DRDO

The latest initiative builds on an industry-partnership model that is already producing results.

In May, DRDO and the Indian Air Force conducted the maiden flight trial of the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation weapon. DRDO said the glide-weapon system had been developed with Development-cum-Production Partners and other Indian industries, which had already started production activity.

In June, DRDO also reported that the ULPGM-V3 missile had been produced within the Indian defence ecosystem with involvement from multiple industries and startups.

Aatmanirbhar Bharat Push

Greater participation by private companies is central to India's defence-indigenisation strategy.

DRDO's production coordination framework specifically aims to facilitate faster induction of indigenous systems into the armed forces while improving the technical capabilities of Indian industry.

The approach can also create a wider industrial base involving large defence companies, MSMEs and technology startups.

What This Means For India

The latest DRDO initiative could strengthen India's ability to design, integrate and manufacture sophisticated weapons at scale. It also gives private companies a pathway to participate in projects that were traditionally dominated by government laboratories and defence public-sector enterprises.

However, selection as a potential DcPP does not automatically guarantee production orders. Individual projects will still require technical evaluation, trials, qualification and project-specific procurement decisions.

The expansion of the DRDO missile manufacturing partnership model nevertheless marks another step towards a more integrated domestic defence industry, combining government research capabilities with private-sector engineering, production and supply-chain capacity.