The Ministry of Defence described the August 25 decision as an important step towards greater self-reliance in defence manufacturing. Instead of relying primarily on a small number of traditional production agencies, DRDO-developed conventional missile technologies can now be transferred to a wider pool of capable Indian manufacturers.
Singh confirmed that TASL is separately developing systems with a range of 400 km, indicating that the company is working beyond the tactical loitering-munition category in which it has already secured significant orders from the Indian armed forces.
The project, formally titled “Development of Close Formation Flying of Multiple DRONES,” has been launched under the Ministry of Defence’s Technology Development Fund scheme, which is executed by DRDO to bring Indian companies, particularly startups and MSMEs, into the development of advanced defence technologies.
The Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Department of Science and Technology has entered into an agreement with One2X Tech to support the commercialisation of its Fixit platform. The initiative was announced on 20 August 2026 and is intended to strengthen the platform’s orchestration capabilities, enterprise integrations, security and scalability as it moves towards wider commercial deployment.
India’s electricity system is simultaneously expanding renewable generation and searching for dependable sources capable of operating continuously. Solar and wind power will remain central to the energy transition, but their output varies with weather and time of day. Nuclear plants, once operating, can supply electricity continuously for long periods and therefore provide an important source of stable baseload generation.
Hyderabad-based MosChip Technologies is building capabilities across this critical design layer of the semiconductor industry. The company provides silicon and product engineering services covering ASICs, system-on-chip designs, embedded systems and advanced digital products.
The company develops LiFi, Visible Light Communication and Free-Space Optical communication systems. These technologies use visible or infrared light instead of conventional radio-frequency signals. NavTech says it maintains its own research and development facilities and manufacturing capability for optical wireless communication systems.
The initiative is important because modern armies need combat engineers who can keep pace with tanks and mechanised formations. Traditional mine-laying often requires considerable manpower and time. A vehicle-mounted system can scatter mines much faster while remaining mobile.
Until now, the framework covered 41 specified countries. Under the revised system, OGEL coverage has been extended to all countries except negative or sensitive nations and countries subject to United Nations Security Council sanctions or arms embargoes.
The proposed aircraft is significantly more capable than the relatively small logistics drones increasingly used for last-mile military resupply. Reported requirements call for a 50-kilometre one-way operating range, a service ceiling of about 25,000 feet, as many as five sorties per day and operation in temperatures falling to around –40°C. Crucially, the aircraft is also expected to retain autonomous capability when satellite-navigation signals are unavailable or deliberately jammed.
