New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has signed a strategic pact with the Indian Navy and Apollo Micro Systems Limited to expedite the development of advanced indigenous defence technologies.
The Joint Development Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was exchanged in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the Indian Navy’s ‘Swavalamban 2025’ event held in New Delhi.
The collaboration aims to combine IIT Madras’ R&D expertise, the Navy’s operational requirements and Apollo Micro Systems’ engineering and manufacturing capabilities to support the national objective of achieving self-reliance in defence under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.
“This strategic MoU establishes a collaborative framework to jointly address current and emerging technological problem statements of the Armed Forces,” said Prof P.A. Ramakrishna from the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras, who is leading the initiative. He added that the partnership will accelerate the movement of innovations from the lab to field-ready deployment.
The focus of this partnership spans several high-priority domains, including advanced electronic warfare, precision navigation and guidance, high-energy armament systems, and other emerging defence technologies.
The Ministry of Defence expects the outcome of this alliance to significantly contribute to India’s self-reliance targets in sensitive and critical defence areas, strengthening the country’s position as a global defence innovation hub.
Highlighting the industry’s role, Apollo Micro Systems Managing Director Karunakar Reddy said the strategic alliance creates “a powerful ecosystem for defence indigenisation,” leveraging research strengths, operational insights and manufacturing proficiency.
As part of the collaboration, IIT Madras will serve as the research anchor, driving foundational research, prototyping and IP generation. The Directorate General of Naval Armament Inspection (DGNAI) will provide operational guidance and performance validation, while Apollo Micro Systems will scale up design, integration and production for defence induction.
