TDF schemes promoting 'Aatmanirbharta' in defence sector, says MoD

Start-ups & MSMEs awarded for enhancing cutting-edge capabilities

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The Technology Development Fund (TDF) is encouraging public and private industries to create an ecosystem that enhances cutting-edge capabilities and promotes ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence, stated a Ministry of Defence (MoD) release on Wednesday.

The TDF scheme is a flagship MoD programme, executed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the “Make in India” initiative. It is especially directed at start-ups and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), says the MoD.

So far, 77 projects have been sanctioned to various industries, with a commitment of over Rs 300 crore. The MoD says that 27 defence technologies have been successfully realised under the scheme.

Amongst the success stories of the TDF scheme is Pune-based start-up Combat Robotics. This firm has successfully developed an innovative simulator for unmanned vehicles.

This multi-domain simulator supports Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs), Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs), and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). According to the MoD, it serves as an excellent development tool for agencies working on developing autonomous systems.

The simulator provides comprehensive environmental modelling, scenario and vehicle modelling, and intuitive control systems with developer documentation.

“It is designed to cater to the demands of testing and validate the autonomous behaviours of unmanned vehicles across multiple domains. It has been developed under the aegis of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), a Bengaluru-based DRDO laboratory."

Another success story the MoD cited is that of Pune-based ChiStats Labs, which has developed virtual sensors for aero gas turbine engine health monitoring.

ChiStats Labs Private Limited is a start-up in the field of data science and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and the winner of the Dare to Dream 2.0 Innovation contest of DRDO.

“The project involves the development of a comprehensive diagnostic system of various parts of the aero gas turbine engine (AGTE), leading to increased operational reliability and longevity of the engine,” stated the MoD.

Explaining the success, ChiStats Labs stated: “The system is built on stronger foundations of modern artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) technologies. It efficiently handles large-scale data and conducts operational assessments rapidly with a high degree of accuracy. The virtual sensor framework is being developed indigenously.”

The MoD says this “technology has been successfully developed under the technical guidance and mentorship of the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), a Bengaluru-based DRDO laboratory that specialises in aero engines.”

The MoD also cites the success of “Tools for Data Assessment, Active Learning & Believability for Visual Data.” This groundbreaking project aims at enhancing AI model validation and optimisation for defence applications. It will facilitate collaboration among scientists through shared and reproducible experiments.

Amongst the companies cited is Bengaluru-based NewSpace Research and Technologies.

The Bengaluru-based start-up, under the project titled “Autonomous Drone as First Responder for Search and Report Operations in Enclosed/Indoor Environments,” has created a cutting-edge unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of exploring indoor environments under various conditions, including in zero light.

The project focuses on developing indoor UAVs integrated with an autonomous navigation stack, onboard object detection module, and localisation fallback mechanism. Integration with the autonomous navigation stack includes 3D mapping, exploration algorithm, and AI/ML engine.

The success of these projects opens up avenues for various applications including search and rescue operations, surveillance, industrial inspections, environment monitoring, and hazardous environment exploration.

The DRDO says this has contributed significantly to technological advancements in unmanned aerial systems. The technology has been developed under the technical guidance and mentorship of CAIR, Bengaluru.

The TDF scheme objectives include providing grant-in-aid to Indian industries, including MSMEs and start-ups. It furthers the development of defence and dual-use technologies that are currently not available with the Indian defence industry.