DRDO to showcase 'Make in India' spirit at Defexpo 2016

The display of state-of-the-art military systems and technologies by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at the Defence Expo this year will "be a saga of self-reliance and showcase the spirit of Make in India," officials said on Friday.

The ninth edition of Defence Expo, a biennial event, is to be held in Goa from March 28 to March 31. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will inaugurate this land, naval and internal security systems exposition on March 28.

"With the aim of 'Make in India,' DRDO is participating in this event for fruitful collaboration with various industry and research institutes towards indigenous development of defence systems and platforms," a DRDO official said.

"This year the design theme of DRDO pavilion is 'Rise of Futurism'. This emphasises DRDO's vision to give our defence services decisive edge by equipping them with internationally competitive systems and solutions," the official added.

DRDO will showcase some of the star products for the first the time at the Defence Expo, which includes Airborne Early Warning and Control System, Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, Arjun MBT MK II and I, Wheeled Armoured Platform and Akash Air Defence System, among others.

"DRDO has amply demonstrated capability to design, develop and realise highly complex multidisciplinary weapon platforms for the army, navy and air force. These systems are among the most extensively evaluated systems in harsh environmental conditions, meeting stringent quality requirements of our services," the official said.