In a significant development regarding the production of textile-based advanced products for the defence forces, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi and 10 companies have signed agreements.
The transfer of technology of lightweight bullet-resistant jacket Advanced Ballistic High Energy Defeat (ABHED) was done with three companies including MIDHANI (Mishra Dhatu Nigam), Rohtak, SMPP, Delhi and AR Polymers (MKU) Kanpur.
ABHED Bullet Resistant Jacket, one of the lightest bulletproof jackets (BPJ) of its kind in the world has been developed by Prof. Naresh Bhatnagar with his team. It meets all the necessary threat criteria as per Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) V & VI capability of stopping multiple shots.
The Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the development of Indigenous Ballistic Material was made with Reliance Industries Ltd while the MoA for limited series production of Extreme Cold Weather Clothing (-60°C Wind chill) was made with Tirupur-based Arrow Garments, Aeronav Industrial Safety Appliance, Delhi and Arnaf Industries Ltd.
Arrow Garments and Aeronav Industrial Safety Appliance will also produce extreme heat-protective clothing. Another company that signed an MoA for the same segment is Katalyst Techtex Ltd, Delhi.
At the DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE), over the past 7 years, around 50 research projects have been initiated under five technology verticals, with a total funding of US $ 44 million (Rs. 375 crore) from the DRDO. It has a thrust on soldier-centric innovations, including high-performance lightweight body armour, smart soldier jackets, advanced aerostat materials, terahertz technology for spectroscopy, firefighter heat protection gear, and extreme cold-weather jackets.
