The Naval Science and Technological Laboratory is partnering industry to enable them become globally competitive with cutting-edge technologies, NSTL Director C.D. Malleswar said.
“We are providing the R&D expertise to manufacturing companies that do not have the laboratory capabilities to help them market their products in the global market,” he told The Hindu here on Sunday. The Indian defence manufacturers which are mainly in the public sector have limited production and are not necessarily competitive in the global market. “We are extending laboratory capabilities to their products, making them competitive in quality and costs,” he added.
The NSTL has emerged from the learning curve and is now working on strategic projects for the Indian Navy, the Director said. “Till now we were working on tactical projects like torpedoes which are used as a part of a tactic to match enemy’s moves, today we have taken up strategic projects which are drivers and aim at domination irrespective of the enemy’s tactics,” he said.
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He said projects worth Rs.500 crore had been signed and they include design and development of systems that support nuclear capabilities.
“We have started working in close association with defence manufacturers like the BDL and BEL. We are looking at industry partners to ensure seamless transfer of technology,” he added.
In defence, the end user requires a long-term support for the product that is integrated into the weaponry systems. This is why the public sector enterprises are the best suited to be integrators of the technology developed by the DRDO, he said.
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