DRDO Opens Wider Missile and Guided-Weapon Production Role to Indian Private Industry

DRDO has invited eligible Indian defence companies to participate in the development, integration, qualification and production of missile and bomb weapon systems through its Development-cum-Production Partner, or DcPP, model.

The initiative represents another step in India’s effort to move defence manufacturing beyond a predominantly government-owned production structure and create a broader network of companies capable of taking DRDO-developed systems into serial production.

Private Companies to Move Beyond Component Supply

Under the DcPP model, selected companies can participate at a much deeper level than traditional component suppliers.

Industry partners may become involved in prototype development, system integration, testing, qualification, manufacturing infrastructure and subsequent production of weapon systems.

Once companies qualify through the initial process, DRDO can invite them to compete for project-specific requirements.

The latest initiative covers weapon programmes associated with DRDO’s Missiles and Strategic Systems Cluster, which develops technologies involving propulsion, guidance, navigation, control systems, warheads, launchers and related missile technologies.

The cluster supports both tactical and strategic defence requirements.

Private Missile Manufacturing Is Already Taking Shape

The policy direction is not entirely new. The Ministry of Defence has previously confirmed that areas including missiles and bombs have been opened to private industry for development.

Private companies are already participating in selected DRDO missile programmes.

One recent example is the ULPGM-V3 precision-guided missile, for which DRDO selected Bharat Dynamics Limited and Adani Defence Systems & Technologies Limited as production agencies.

The Ministry of Defence stated in May 2026 that the missile’s domestic industrial supply chain was ready to support serial production.

DRDO has also expanded the number of companies working as development partners, production agencies and technology-transfer recipients across its wider portfolio.

Building More Missile Production Capacity

The larger significance of the latest initiative lies in production scale.

Modern conflicts have demonstrated that sophisticated missile systems can be consumed in large numbers during sustained operations. A country may possess an advanced missile design but still face serious limitations if its industrial base cannot manufacture weapons quickly enough.

Bringing additional private companies into missile production could create multiple manufacturing lines and reduce dependence on a small group of defence public-sector units.

It could also encourage investment in specialised infrastructure for propulsion systems, missile electronics, precision machining, composite structures, explosives handling, testing and final assembly.

For Indian industry, the programme creates an opportunity to move further up the defence manufacturing value chain.

Supporting Faster Transition From DRDO to Production

One of India’s recurring defence-manufacturing challenges has been the transition from successful research and development to large-scale production.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has repeatedly called on DRDO to work more closely with private industry, MSMEs, start-ups and academic institutions and to reduce the time required to move technologies from laboratories to operational deployment.

The DcPP approach is intended to address this problem by involving production partners earlier in the development process.

Companies that understand the weapon during its development phase can prepare manufacturing lines, tooling and supply chains before large orders arrive.

This can potentially shorten the gap between successful trials and delivery to the Armed Forces.

Strengthening India’s Missile Industrial Base

The broader direction, however, is clear.

India is progressively creating an industrial model in which DRDO focuses on advanced research, system design and technology development while a larger network of public and private companies handles production and life-cycle support.

For missile programmes, this could prove especially important as the Armed Forces expand their inventories of air-defence missiles, anti-tank weapons, precision-guided munitions, anti-ship systems and other advanced guided weapons.

The latest move therefore represents more than another industry partnership initiative.

It is part of a wider attempt to build an Indian missile-production ecosystem capable of manufacturing advanced weapons at greater scale, with shorter production cycles and deeper private-sector participation.

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Official Sources

DRDO — Missiles and Strategic Systems Cluster: Official description of the cluster and its missile-related technology responsibilities.
https://drdo.gov.in/drdo/en/organisation/technology-cluster/missiles-and-strategic-systems

Ministry of Defence / PIB: Government confirmation that missiles and bombs have been opened to private industry for development under DRDO’s industry-partnership model.
https://www.pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1989502

Ministry of Defence / PIB — May 2026: Official announcement identifying Bharat Dynamics Limited and Adani Defence Systems & Technologies Limited as production agencies for ULPGM-V3.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2263045

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