The Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar asked the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists to concentrate on core activities factoring the defence technology requirements of the armed forces. He asked DRDO to involve the industry in producing the technologies which they have developed. “Hand-hold the industry to make some products which you may have developed”, he said.

Addressing the 39th Directors’ Conference, Parrikar said the close interface of DRDO with Navy in developing technology products is well matured. DRDO should now develop similar level of interface with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.

The Defence Minister said there is a potential of $1 billion worth of exports of technology products developed by DRDO in two to three years.

The meeting was attended among others by the Chief of Air Staff and Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R.K. Dhowan and Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri Dr G. Satheesh Reddy.

Speaking on the occasion, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said our visionary forefathers had conceptualised DRDO as the prime instrument for gaining strategic independence for India through indigenisation and development of core/critical technologies. He said DRDO has been able to achieve the objectives of self-reliance to a great extent in the past seven decades. While he touched upon the success stories of missiles and radars, he urged the scientists to treat disappointments as challenges and convert them into greater opportunities.

The Director General of DRDO Dr S. Christopher said the year 2014-15 was marked by a number of achievements in every technology cluster. He said the current value of production orders or the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared systems from the DRDO stable stands at Rs. 1,79,000 crore, which does not include strategic systems.