Notwithstanding India's heavy dependence on imports for defence capabilities, country's premier research body Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has tied up with IIT Bombay and IIT Madras for futuristic defence technology development in the areas of aero- engines and hypersonic propulsion for long duration flight.
A formal agreement was signed among the three institutions recently to establish a Centre of Propulsion Technology (CoPT).
CoPT will engage with the two IITs that will act as primary research points besides involving other research institutions and centres.
The arrangement has been conceptualised to facilitate and undertake multidisciplinary research in critical defence technology areas and emerging security requirements.
An amount of Rs160 crore, which will be drawn out from DRDO's budget, has already been sanctioned for infrastructure development and running costs for the new centre.
A portion of the this initial sanctioned money will also be diverted towards technical programmes - gas turbine propulsion for small engine, solid propellant combustion modelling and morphing aircraft technologies.
This premier institution push for India's defence research development comes at a time when the armed forces have lately been engaging with IITs and IIMs at their respective levels.
Earlier this year, the Army held open house interactions at IIT Bombay for Indian industry, and Academia to deliberate on defence technologies. In an another Army workshop along with industry body Ficci, held at IIM Ahmedabad campus, Professor SP Mehrotra, the dean, (R&D-Research and Development) of IIT- Gandhinagar, suggested how, among other things, the institution's research on aerodynamics, seismic sensors, Nano technology for protective clothing, and biological warfare prevention can be of use to the armed forces.
