Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) : News and Updates

"Generation of preliminary solid/surface models and FE models of quartz cyanate ester composites radome"

So this looks like the LCA MK2 Quartz Radome mentioned on page R20/R21 in the CSIR NAL Director's Report:
?
can not remember, seen RDE working on radome composite for many years , our favourite site also reported

https://****/rdee-develops-radome-for-light-combat-aircraft-lca-under-project-drap/


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"Generation of preliminary solid/surface models and FE models of quartz cyanate ester composites radome"

So this looks like the LCA MK2 Quartz Radome mentioned on page R20/R21 in the CSIR NAL Director's Report:
?
Btw , there was lca mk2 radome work long time ago during the covid time and even before. There was some good stuff back then. I think @Gautam or someone else posted before maybe in mk2 thread. ASL made amca radome, RDE also make for mk2 so projects are probably diversified across some labs.

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Thanks for sharing the paper. I was wondering if the "Resin Film Infusion" manufactured radome brochure linked by @Ashwin in LCA Tejas Mk1 & Mk1A - News and discussions for the LCA MK1A was connected to the CE composite radome and that's in the title!

The paper also mentions the Quartz related enhancements for MK2: "Quartz fabrics, though expensive in comparison to E-glass fabrics, can be used for realizing advanced composite radomes with CE resins, where transmission loss of less than −0.5 to −1 dB is required."

Btw , there was lca mk2 radome work long time ago during the covid time and even before. There was some good stuff back then. I think @Gautam or someone else posted before maybe in mk2 thread. ASL made amca radome, RDE also make for mk2 so projects are probably diversified across some labs.
I have only been lurking here for about a month, but I think I read somewhere kevlar radome proved inferior so they moved on to the CE composites? I could be wrong. But either way... Kevlar, Quartz, Ceramic, Resin, Composites, FRP, FSS,... the research spirit seems to be not just alive but thriving. Bodes well for the future!
 
Yeah usually they make so many proto units for tests to check whether performance satisfactory and most of the time nearly 75% those do not qualify internally. Even the final one from the TD stage often not get accepted by the Forces due to not meeting qualification.
 
Real-Time Aerial Tracker on Embedded Hardware Deployed on Ballistic Systems , RCI funded project
possibly how the seeker system to acquire target effectively , many use likely in NASM series or Rudram series. Clearly works in naval & land based target acquisition.

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One other project about remote sensing image analysis

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PMO push puts long-pending DRDO revamp back on track
The restructuring of DRDO into a leaner and strategically agile institution is being led by a senior PMO official. Deadline: the 68th Foundation Day on January 1, 2026

 
HEMRL conducted a workshop on “Development and Status thermites in India ( DSTI-2025)”. Prof (Dr) Prateek Kishore, DS & DG(ACE) inaugurated the workshop at HEMRL, Pune in the presence of Dr A P Dash, OS & Director HEMRL and Dr A K Mandal, Technology Director (Materials). During his inaugural address DG ( ACE) highlighted the importance of such workshop which can help in preparing the road map of advanced thermites materials based laser ignition for strategic application.

Over 100 participants from various prestigious national research institutes, iconic academia, various DRDO laboratories and Industries participated.

 
Leaving this as a note on financing of the DRDO -

The DRDO allocation for the past 10 years (GPT):

The figures below are primarily Budget Estimates (BE) in Indian Rupees (crore), compiled from various reliable sources. Note that actual expenditures or revised estimates may differ slightly, and these are high-level allocations. For precise details, refer to official Union Budget documents from the Ministry of Finance.

  • FY 2015-16: ₹13,525 crore
  • FY 2016-17: ₹13,594 crore
  • FY 2017-18: ₹15,943 crore
  • FY 2018-19: ₹17,881 crore
  • FY 2019-20: ₹19,327 crore
  • FY 2020-21: ₹19,327 crore
  • FY 2021-22: ₹11,981 crore
  • FY 2022-23: ₹16,021 crore
  • FY 2023-24: ₹23,264 crore
  • FY 2024-25: ₹23,855 crore

DRDO budget allocations from Indian Rupees (INR crore) to US Dollars (USD), using historical average annual INR/USD exchange rates for each respective financial year (FY, April 1 to March 31). These conversions are approximate, based on average rates to reflect the economic context of each year. For example:

  • Conversions are calculated as: (INR crore amount × 10,000,000) / average exchange rate (INR per USD) = USD amount.
  • Figures are rounded to the nearest million USD for readability and presented in billions where appropriate.
  • Exchange rates are sourced from reliable financial data providers (cited below). Note that rates fluctuate, so these are averages; actual values could vary slightly depending on the exact timing.
  • FY 2015-16: ~$2.08 billion (at avg. rate ~65 INR/USD)
  • FY 2016-17: ~$2.03 billion (at avg. rate ~67 INR/USD)
  • FY 2017-18: ~$2.45 billion (at avg. rate ~65 INR/USD)
  • FY 2018-19: ~$2.63 billion (at avg. rate ~68 INR/USD)
  • FY 2019-20: ~$2.76 billion (at avg. rate ~70 INR/USD)
  • FY 2020-21: ~$2.61 billion (at avg. rate ~74 INR/USD)
  • FY 2021-22: ~$1.62 billion (at avg. rate ~74 INR/USD)
  • FY 2022-23: ~$2.05 billion (at avg. rate ~78 INR/USD)
  • FY 2023-24: ~$2.84 billion (at avg. rate ~82 INR/USD)
  • FY 2024-25: ~$2.87 billion (at avg. rate ~83 INR/USD)
 
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