IDSR, Gujarat University and IA (India Accelerator) Launch Accelerator for Defense & Aerospace Startups — 'ADVAIT’

In a bold move to strengthen India's defense innovation ecosystem, Institute for Defence Studies and Research (IDSR), Gujarat University and India Accelerator (IA) have announced the launch of ADVAIT — a strategic accelerator program designed to empower startups building cutting-edge technologies for defense and aerospace applications.

Coming at a time when India’s defence budget has surpassed ₹6 lakh crore and with a growing thrust on self-reliance under the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission, ADVAIT is poised to play a catalytic role in nurturing next-generation defence startups. The program will focus on early and growth-stage ventures working in key areas such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, space tech, advanced materials, cybersecurity, and surveillance.

Sharing his thoughts and vision for ADVAIT, Ashish Bhatia, Founder & CEO, IA, said-

India is at an inflection point where our startups are not just solving commercial problems but are stepping up to serve national priorities. With ADVAIT, we’re creating a platform that gives these startups the tools, mentorship, and ecosystem support they need to build for Bharat’s strategic edge.

Echoing this vision and elaborating on the program’s strategic framework, Mr. Arindam Mukhopadhyay, Partner at IA commented,

ADVAIT is not just another startup program — it’s a mission to fast-track national security innovation. By bringing startups, academia, and industry into one unified platform, we’re building an engine for next-generation defense capability.

At its core, ADVAIT is structured around the Tripod Approach — a unique model that leverages the combined strengths of Industry, Academia, and Startups. This ensures that innovations emerging from the program are not only technically sound but also market-ready and strategically aligned with national priorities.

This collaborative framework delivers distinct value to all participants. The applications for the program are open from 5th May’25. Selected startups will gain access to domain-specific mentorship, opportunities to work on live problem statements from the defence sector, collaboration avenues with established industry players, and potential funding support. This initiative also gives academia a meaningful platform to translate its research into real-world impact, while fostering entrepreneurship on campus. Industry players, meanwhile, benefit from access to disruptive, cost-effective innovations with faster go-to-market timelines.

“This is a unique moment for India’s defense sector — one where innovation is no longer limited to labs or large contractors. Through ADVAIT, we’re enabling a new breed of defense-ready startups,” said Mr. Srinivasa Rao Sureddi, CEO, IDSR.

With this initiative, IDSR, IA and Gujarat University are laying the foundation for India’s future in defense tech, one startup at a time.

Defence Ministry's iDEX Supported Startup To Equip Indian Army with Quantum Communication Tech

Back in year 2020, in the month of December, a quantum-powered secure communication trials were conducted between two physically distant DRDO labs and the milestone was achieved as a secure  quantum communication was successfully established in the presence of Defence minister of India.

The technology called "Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)" has been developed by DRDO's Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) and DRDO Young Scientist Laboratory (DYSL-CT).

While CAIR is a premier laboratory of DRDO involved in the Research & Development of high quality Secure Communication, Command and Control, and Intelligent System, DYSL-CT with emphasis on Cognitive technologies, works in the area of design and development of Cognitive Radio and Cognitive Radar Systems, realising through Deep Neural Networks and Reinforcement learning algorithms.

DRDO developed this technology to enable startups and SMEs in the domain of Quantum information technologies, as one of the objectives. The quantum tech will also serve to define standards and crypto policies that can leverage QKD system in a unified Cipher Policy Committee (CPC) framework for more secure and pragmatic key management for current and future military cryptographic systems.

Now after two odd-years, QNu Labs, a Bengaluru-based Deep Tech Start-up, has broken distance barriers by innovating advanced secured communication through Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) systems. The project was curated by iDEX-DIO with Indian Army.

After the successful trials, now the Indian Army has initiated the process of procurement of QKD systems developed by QNu Labs by issuing commercial Request For Proposal (RFP) and its deployment.

QNu Labs is touted as the first India company to successfully develop commercial cybersecurity products using quantum physics. It also has a subsidiary in the United States called QNu Labs Inc, which was set up in Massachusetts, back in year-2019.

Quantum technology has a huge potential for military application and a disruptive impact on modern-day warfare. A QKD system allows creation of a quantum secure secret pair of symmetric keys between two end points, separated by certain distance (in this case, over 150 Kms) in terrestrial optical fiber infrastructure. The QKD helps create a non-hackable quantum channel for creating un-hackable encryption keys which are used to encrypt critical data/voice/video, across the end points.

Buoyed with the success of the start-up, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar termed the development of indigenously QKD technology as a milestone achievement in ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal’ and a befitting success story of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. He appreciated the efforts of iDEX start-ups working in deep tech as they are equipping the Armed Forces with innovative solutions for modern and futuristic warfare.

The Defence Secretary also applauded the efforts of the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, iDEX-DIO, Army Design Bureau and the Indian Army Signals Directorate, which have contributed in development of high end Quantum Technology in the country for the first time. He added that iDEX revolutionises the defence innovation and helps foster creation of new tech solutions at a fraction of cost and time.

QNu Labs’ co-founder and CEO Shri Sunil Gupta stated that the vision of putting India on the forefront of deep technologies in the field of data security through the use of Quantum technology has finally borne fruits. He added that winning the Open Challenge-2 of iDEX has provided a launching pad to QNu Labs to achieve this stellar success.

Earlier in February this year, in a major breakthrough for India, scientists from Space Applications Centre (SAC) and Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), both from the city of Ahmedabad, have jointly demonstrated quantum entanglement based real time Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) over 300m atmospheric channel along with quantum-secure text, image transmission and quantum-assisted two-way video calling. 

Indian Army signs a $20 Million Contract with ideaForge to Procure SWITCH UAV

MUMBAI, India, Jan. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Indian Army has signed an approximately $20 million contract for undisclosed quantities of a high-altitude variant of ideaForge's SWITCH UAV which will be delivered over a period of 1 year. ideaForge has been awarded this contract after it emerged as the only vendor that qualified the operational requirements in an evaluation done in real-world conditions, for a fast-track procurement. The contract marks a strategic shift in the Indian defence procurement process as the Indian Army goes on an aggressive modernization drive. It has also cemented ideaForge's position as India's largest manufacturer of drones for defence, homeland security and industrial applications.

SWITCH UAV is an indigenous system built to cater for the most demanding surveillance operations of the Indian Forces. This Fixed Wing VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) UAV can be deployed at high altitude and harsh environments for day and night surveillance in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It is man-portable and has the highest time on target compared to any other UAV in its class.

Speaking on the development, ideaForge CEO, Ankit Mehta said, "SWITCH UAV is the culmination of insights and knowledge we have gained over years of experience in helping the Indian Forces operationalize UAVs in their ranks. The trials saw about a dozen national and global players compete to meet the operational requirements. SWITCH UAV is the only product that cleared the Indian Army's stringent product trials and surpassed expectations. It is a testimony of the fact that our systems are built like a bird and tested like a tank. Our systems are fully ready to serve nations that seek to protect their territorial sovereignty."

"A combination of world-class technology and a deep understanding of customer requirements has resulted in ideaForge bagging this contract against global competition. With the backing of reputed institutional investors such as WRVI, Infosys and Qualcomm, ideaForge is all set to grow rapidly. We plan to work with like-minded investors and partners to achieve our vision of premier drone company serving enterprise, security and surveillance market globally," said Ganapathy Subramaniam, Partner - WRVI Venture Capital who also serves as Executive Chairman - ideaForge.

About ideaForge

Built on a strong foundation of interdisciplinary engineering, ideaForge has become a global leader in UAV technology. Its drones offer class-leading performance and reliability, and have been widely adopted for defence, homeland security and enterprise applications. In India, ideaForge has by far the largest market share in the security, surveillance and industrial market of drones. Its customers include Indian Defence Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State Police Forces, and have conducted over 150,000 missions using its drones. ideaForge has a diverse list of industrial customers as well in sectors such as geospatial surveying, oil & gas, mining and many more. For more information, visit www.ideaforge.co.in

Deeptech Defence Startup Big Bang Boom Raises additional Rs. 11 Cr in Funding led by Mumbai Angels

Big Bang Boom Solutions has raised an 11 Cr round led largely by Mumbai Angels, and other Angel Networks including Keiretsu Forum, Udtara Ventures, Pitchright Ventures and other HNIs. This comes on the back of a 5Cr raise a short while back and has put the company on a highly accelerated growth trajectory and is expected to bolster the company's efforts towards setting up a high technology software vertical, and its presence internationally.

The company has pioneered the concept of 'Runway Infinity' where they have been able to build a business model which uses cash only for acceleration of projects with a clear path to monetization; as opposed to a classical burn rate measured by startups, which gives them an infinite runway.

The startup accelerated the fundraise at the announcement of the lockdown and closed the entire round with oversubscription by the end of it. The company leadership explained this acceleration with a metaphor - "If we are not allowed to chop wood due to a blizzard, we will spend the time sharpening our axe". The leadership also mentioned that the recent announcements by the government towards increasing FDI in the defence sectors, import ban on key technologies and local procurement of all governmental tenders under 200Cr would aid in the growth of the fledging defence product development sector in India.



Praveen Dwarakanath, CEO mentioned, "We took inspiration from the battle at Rezang La in 1962. If the Indian soldiers could hold the enemy back under those impossible odds, surely we can do what is needed to back our Force. We did not let the lockdown slow us down and did what was required to ensure that everything is on track".

The fundraise is not just the cash addition to our balance sheet, the founders clarified "The addition of over 70 private investors means that the startup now has a set of highly intellectual, and well-placed individuals whose combined contribution to the journey in kind, far outweighs the cash raised." The company decided to turn towards Angel Networks as opposed to the classic VC route for their fundraise as a strategic call to bring in these allied benefits. The company anticipates several alliances with, and among the new additions to the Big Bang Boom family.

Dr. Shivaraman Ramaswamy, CTO mentioned, "This is an extremely exciting phase of our journey towards becoming India's first defence Unicorn. With support from iDEX and the confidence of our investors; we are sure we will be able to continue our groundbreaking R&D in defence technologies."

"Defence technologies that are developed within the geographical boundaries of the nation bring a great deal of security to the country especially given the situation at the border," he further added.

Vishwanathan, Head of Forge Incubator Coimbatore mentioned, "As a partner incubator to iDex, Forge sees Big Bang Boom as an exemplar startup bringing its audacious vision, execution agility, and financial ingenuity to serve the iDEX vision to strengthen technological capabilities of the Indian defence sector in alignment with Atmanirbhar Bharat."

Col. Arvind Kumar, Program Director of Defence Innovation Organization (DIO) mentioned, "Kudos to your efforts and single minded determination. Very happy to note that your continued high traction growth will allow for a deeper engagement with the Defense Innovation Organization."

Nandini Mansinghka, Co-promoter and CEO Mumbai Angels Network, "We are happy to welcome BBBS in our expanding diversified portfolio. We are seeing a dynamic shift in how the government is looking defence as a sector for startups to innovate, research and built technologies from ground-up and put India on the global footprint as a defence exporter instead of a defence importer. We are extremely bullish about participating in this industry-defining the near future and is the backbone of our economy."

About Big Bang Boom Solutions

Big Bang Boom Solutions was started in 2018 by Dr. Shivaraman Ramaswamy and Praveen Dwarakanath, both serial entrepreneurs with excellent track records. The company managed to win two prestigious iDEX grants from the Defence Innovation Organization, Department of Defence Production; and is on track to deliver cutting-edge technology systems to the Indian Armed Forces. They also have other products which they have developed in-house and were on display at the recent Defence Expo in Lucknow. They have been granted incubation facilities with T-Hub in Hyderabad and Forge in Coimbatore.

AjnaLens Launches AjnaBolt- A Military-Grade AI-powered Mixed Reality Glasses at DefExpo 2020

AjnaLens by Dimension NXG announced the launch of a breakthrough mixed-reality wearable ‘AjnaBolt’, a military-grade AI-powered glasses at the ongoing DefExpo 2020 at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

With the expanding possibilities of data and graphics processing, the number of uses of augmented reality in the Defence is growing exponentially. Artificial Intelligence (AI) combined with Mixed Reality (MR) is becoming crucial for modern warfare. Defence systems equipped with AI and MR improve human decision-making capability and human-to-machine interaction immensely.

Keeping in mind, the need of the Defence sector, a Mumbai based start-up ‘Dimension NXG’ under the brand name ‘AjnaLens’ has launched ‘AjnaBolt’- India’s first AI-powered Mixed Reality glasses for Defence. The mixed-reality glasses are designed and manufactured in India. AjnaBolt provides advanced lethality to increase survivability and thereby exponentially increasing a defence mission’s success capability. AjnaBolt can be used to upgrade fair-weather weapons to all-weather weapons, enhanced navigation and sight, advance training and simulation, etc. Its modular design helps the user to mount it on headgear or use it as standalone glasses. With many compatible software solutions, AjnaBolt can be used for various objectives not only in the field of defence but Homeland security as well.

During the launch, Mr. Pankaj Raut – Co-Founder & CEO of AjnaLens explained the company’s vision behind AjnaBolt. He said, “We are proud to be the first Indian company to create mixed-reality glasses for Defence in India. At AjnaLens, we found a way to compile all the security related information and present it in the most intuitive way in order to understand and make better decisions via our offering AjnaBolt. It works on the premise of combining AI with Mixed Reality technology for helping to expand our understanding of any situation, thus decreasing response time while increasing the effectiveness of any defence mission. It takes mission planning, coordination, and execution to the next level. I am sure it will not only strengthen our armed forces and make every mission more successful but will also make our nation an exporter in defence technologies.”

Along with the AjnaBolt, AjnaLens has supported their offering by launching applications like AjnaHolotable App, etc. These applications would enhance the user experience by enabling users to visualize the battlefield in 3D before and during the war for planning and monitoring respectively. This saves an ample amount of time as digital maps are easily loaded.

Among AjnaLens’ other offerings, Ajna Enhanced Situational Awareness System (AjnaESAS), was developed under IDEX a program by the ministry of defence. AjnaESAS enables the crew to have a 360° field of view from inside the tank (or any land/naval system). It comprises a camera system and an Augmented Reality Head Mounted Display (AR-HMD).

Not only the end-users that are Defence forces but AjnaBolt would also support the Defence manufacturing units through their breakthrough application in the line of Assembly, Repair, and Maintenance.

When asked about the possible market response for AjnaBolt, Mr. Rishi Desai - Senior Marketing Strategist of AjnaLens said, “AjnaBolt will not only help Armed Forces but also provide an edge to defence contractors. It helps manufacturers in upgrading their product offerings and reducing costs in training, assembly, maintenance, and repair. We are already in talks with some of them and are thrilled by the response from the market.”

About AjnaLens (by Dimension NXG)

Founded in November 2014, AjnaLens is a company driven by innovators, thinkers, explorers and creative geniuses who are on a common pursuit of bringing a positive change in society from grassroots leveraging AR, VR and AI technologies.

AjnaLens designs mixed reality glasses to augment human intelligence so that people can realize their full potential. They provide solutions for Defence, Education and Enterprises.

With 5+ years’ experience, AjnaLens is the only Indian company manufacturing mixed reality glasses in India. Many Government organizations like Indian Army, Indian Airforce, Indian Navy, DRDO, Maharashtra Government and other private players like ATOP food, Khimji Ramdas, PM Experts, and multiple XR companies are their customers.

At AjnaLens, we believe we can live an extraordinary life if humans and computers together play by their strengths. However, the experience of computers, laptops or mobiles has been limited to a 2D screen. These boundaries are fading away, creating new possibilities to interact with the digital world more intuitively and effectively without disconnecting with the room you are in and people you are with.

Current Product Line of AjnaLens

AjnaBolt - Military-grade AI-powered mixed reality glasses.
AjnaLite/AjnaLite+ - See-through mixed reality wireless headset with Industry-leading 84° FOV, astonishing Holographic clarity and much more.

These products when combined with our software offerings, can prove to be game-changing for the end-users.

To know more, visit: AjnaLens

About DefExpo 2020

Defence expo is a biennial mega defence exhibition. This edition, focusing on 'Digital Transformation’, is poised to see larger participation of defence manufacturers from both the public and private sectors, OEMs and MSMEs. The event provides an ideal platform for business, decision-makers and policymakers to interact, to address common concerns and to not only establish India as a defence manufacturing hub but also to bolster the global ecosystem.

DefExpo 2020 brings the leading technologies in the defence sector under one roof and provide a myriad of opportunities for government, private manufacturers, start-ups and the entire space. The event is scheduled to be held from 5th - 8th February 2020 in Lucknow and will cover the complete spectrum of the country's aerospace, defence and security interests. This edition of the show promises to be an invaluable source of ground-level intelligence and insight for everyone.

Army officers getting a brief about AjnaBolt at DefExpo 2020, LucknowTo know more, visit https://defexpo.gov.in/

Startups can Now Bid for Govt Defence Contracts valued less than ₹150 Cr

In a special exceptions in its defence procurement policy, government of India will now allow start-up companies to submit bids for defence related contracts that are valued below Rs 150 crore. This special provision from government came in order to promote startups and encourage them to bid for Indian defence related projects. Startups, however, have to prove technical expertise in order to bid, reported Economic Times.

Notably, any business entity willing to bid for government defence contracts will be allowed to have foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 49% and the CEOs must be Indian citizens. The guidelines also state that the board of directors should have a majority representation of Indian citizens.

Moreover, the defence ministry has also put specific requirements such as a clear distinction between startups and new entrants in the field so that the new policy exeption will encurage only startups and not large companies.

In order to make a clear distinction between new start-ups and large & mid-sized companies, the ministry ruled that mid to large-sized groups venturing into defence manufacturing will still need to meet financial criteria that includes credit ratings, revenue and net worth.

Besides allowing early-stage startups to participate in the government’s ambitious ‘Make in India’ programme in the defence sector, the new policy change will also increase competition, which in turn spur innovation for defence contracts.

To recall, government of India has a scheme to encourage startups under its Defence Innovation Fund (DIF) with a maximum corpus of Rs 100 crore to identify, promote and fund research and innovation in the private sector.

In April this year Chennai-based Big Bang Boom Solutions (BBBS), a defence tech startup, has bagged a Rs 1.5 crore grant for winning the 'See Through Armor' challenge under iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence), which was launched by the Ministry of Defence in April last year.

Last year in September, Indian Telephone Industries Limited (ITI) signed agreements with 58 startups and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) covering manufacturing solutions related to information and communication technology (ICT), Internet of Things (IoT) and Defence technology, to give fillip to entrepreneurship. ITI is government-owned manufacturer of telecommunications equipment.

Defence IoT Startup CRON Systems Ties with Valley-based Firm to Prevent Illegal Immigration in India

CRON Systems, the Delhi-based defence tech startup, today announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a strategic collaboration with Silicon Valley-based Quanergy Systems Inc., a global leader in the design and development of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors and smart sensing solutions. The collaboration will allow CRON to upgrade detection features of its advanced ‘Kavach’ series for Indian armed forces and perimeter security.

CRON Systems, which has been working with Indian armed forces for perimeter security, will now team up with Quanergy to provide cutting-edge perimeter security to Indian forces. This could become a game changer for dealing with insurgency and illegal immigration.

CRON’s disruptive push to develop state-of-the-art intrusion detection systems, at a fraction of the cost compared to other companies in this space, is just one of the reasons why global giant Quanergy is looking to join forces with this startup. Through this strategic tie-up, Quanergy will provide its LiDAR-based security platform which will be integrated into CRON System’s “Kavach Z” series to bolster its technology.

[caption id="attachment_126231" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Tushar Chhabra, Co-founder & CEO CRON Systems[/caption]

Commenting on the development Tushar Chhabra, Co-founder & CEO CRON Systems, commented: “Quanergy is a global leader when it comes to LiDAR technology and this will be crucial for our upcoming Kavach Z series. Kavach Z has been designed understanding the complexities of the high altitude installations for proven capabilities for the Indo-Pak border in Kashmir. This tie-up will be a massive leap for both Quanergy and CRON. It will create a unique product that will be a prerequisite for all PIDS (Perimeter Intrusion Detection System) requirements. The system now has the capability to not just ‘detect’ but also ‘classify’ and ‘track’ threats around perimeters.”

Related - India’s 9 Defence Tech Startups Giving Boost To Indian Armed Forces

“While LiDAR is most commonly known for its use in autonomous vehicles, it is also an efficient and powerful tool for securing vulnerable perimeters.” said Dr. Louay Eldada, CEO and Co-founder of Quanergy. “Our LiDAR technology integrated with CRON’s Kavach product provides a full-scale, cost-effective and efficient perimeter security solution.”

Built using CRON Smart Fusion technology, Kavach Z is an advanced all-weather, all-terrain intrusion detection product that provides complete situational awareness for any perimeter. Quanergy’s LiDAR technology will provide Kavach Z with the ability to see’ ahead of the perimeter boundary. One single unit of Kavach Z will allow the forces to secure a radius of 200 meters within which any intrusive movement will be detected. Quanergy’s remarkable LiDAR system enables an unlimited number of devices to be linked together, securing a perimeter of any size.

In March this year, CRON had signed an exclusive technology agreement with Israeli defence robotics company, Automotive Robotic Industry Ltd to integrate later's rovers with CRON’s laser-guided surveillance systems. Earlier this year, the startup had raised undisclosed amount in pre-series A funding from India’s premier early stage investor, YourNest.

Founded in 2015, by Tushar Chhabra, Farheen Ahmed, Saurav Agarwala and Tommy Katzenellenbogen, CRON Systems is defence technology company backed by TechStars and YourNest. It is developing next generation Internet of Things (IoT) based Intrusion Detection Systems for securing perimeters and borders.

It may also be recalled that last month, India`s Ministry of Defence (MoD) had given open challenges for startups to provide solutions in defence segment. The challenge was announced while launching the Defence India Startup Challenge to meet India`s technological needs of defence establishments. It is meant to build an eco-system of innovation and entrepreneurship in India for the defence sector to make India self-reliant.

[Top Image - Facebook.com/CRON Systems]

Defence IoT Startup CRON Systems Ties with Valley-based Firm to Prevent Illegal Immigration in India

CRON Systems, the Delhi-based defence tech startup, today announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a strategic collaboration with Silicon Valley-based Quanergy Systems Inc., a global leader in the design and development of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors and smart sensing solutions. The collaboration will allow CRON to upgrade detection features of its advanced ‘Kavach’ series for Indian armed forces and perimeter security.

CRON Systems, which has been working with Indian armed forces for perimeter security, will now team up with Quanergy to provide cutting-edge perimeter security to Indian forces. This could become a game changer for dealing with insurgency and illegal immigration.

CRON’s disruptive push to develop state-of-the-art intrusion detection systems, at a fraction of the cost compared to other companies in this space, is just one of the reasons why global giant Quanergy is looking to join forces with this startup. Through this strategic tie-up, Quanergy will provide its LiDAR-based security platform which will be integrated into CRON System’s “Kavach Z” series to bolster its technology.

[caption id="attachment_126231" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Tushar Chhabra, Co-founder & CEO CRON Systems[/caption]

Commenting on the development Tushar Chhabra, Co-founder & CEO CRON Systems, commented: “Quanergy is a global leader when it comes to LiDAR technology and this will be crucial for our upcoming Kavach Z series. Kavach Z has been designed understanding the complexities of the high altitude installations for proven capabilities for the Indo-Pak border in Kashmir. This tie-up will be a massive leap for both Quanergy and CRON. It will create a unique product that will be a prerequisite for all PIDS (Perimeter Intrusion Detection System) requirements. The system now has the capability to not just ‘detect’ but also ‘classify’ and ‘track’ threats around perimeters.”

Related - India’s 9 Defence Tech Startups Giving Boost To Indian Armed Forces

“While LiDAR is most commonly known for its use in autonomous vehicles, it is also an efficient and powerful tool for securing vulnerable perimeters.” said Dr. Louay Eldada, CEO and Co-founder of Quanergy. “Our LiDAR technology integrated with CRON’s Kavach product provides a full-scale, cost-effective and efficient perimeter security solution.”

Built using CRON Smart Fusion technology, Kavach Z is an advanced all-weather, all-terrain intrusion detection product that provides complete situational awareness for any perimeter. Quanergy’s LiDAR technology will provide Kavach Z with the ability to see’ ahead of the perimeter boundary. One single unit of Kavach Z will allow the forces to secure a radius of 200 meters within which any intrusive movement will be detected. Quanergy’s remarkable LiDAR system enables an unlimited number of devices to be linked together, securing a perimeter of any size.

In March this year, CRON had signed an exclusive technology agreement with Israeli defence robotics company, Automotive Robotic Industry Ltd to integrate later's rovers with CRON’s laser-guided surveillance systems. Earlier this year, the startup had raised undisclosed amount in pre-series A funding from India’s premier early stage investor, YourNest.

Founded in 2015, by Tushar Chhabra, Farheen Ahmed, Saurav Agarwala and Tommy Katzenellenbogen, CRON Systems is defence technology company backed by TechStars and YourNest. It is developing next generation Internet of Things (IoT) based Intrusion Detection Systems for securing perimeters and borders.

It may also be recalled that last month, India`s Ministry of Defence (MoD) had given open challenges for startups to provide solutions in defence segment. The challenge was announced while launching the Defence India Startup Challenge to meet India`s technological needs of defence establishments. It is meant to build an eco-system of innovation and entrepreneurship in India for the defence sector to make India self-reliant.

[Top Image - Facebook.com/CRON Systems]

Indian Defence Minister Throws 11 Tech Challenges At Startups

Just last month, a task force submitted a report on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for military superiority to the Defence Minister of India Nirmala Sitharaman. In continuation to this, Defence Minister now calls on the startups in India to come up with potential solutions for technological needs of defence establishments while launching the Defence India Startup Challenge in Bengaluru and urges them to play an active role in achieving self-reliance in defence production.

A total of 11 challenges by Ministry of Defence (MoD) are thrown open to provide solutions by the startup ecosystem. The challenge is is part of iDEX (Innovation for Defence Excellence) scheme, which is one of many schemes announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April meant to build an eco-system of innovation and entrepreneurship in India for the defence sector to make India self-reliant.

The 11 challenges thrown open to the prospective startups include individual protection system with built-in sensors, see-through armour, carbon fibre winding, active protection system, secure hardware based offline encrypt or device for graded security and development of 4G/LTE based tactical local area network, among others.

The ministry of defence also launched the Support for Prototype & Research Kickstart (SPARK) initiative, which would enable calling for proposals to address specific technological needs of the defence establishment. Applicants showing capability, intent, and promise to be able to produce functional prototypes or to make products with existing technology will get up to Rs 1.5 crore under various schemes.

Defence Minister Sitharaman announced that the Promotion of Startups under Make-II procedure of DPP 2016, under which projects with estimated cost of prototype development phase not exceeding Rs 3 crore have been reserved for startups with no separate technical, or, financial criteria disbarring them. “We’re not disallowing you based on old procedures like technical and financial limitations. If you have an idea and you test it with us, it will find a market as we’ll place orders,” she said.

Additionally, a set of incubators are also recognized for these challenges and the MoD has also signed an MoU with 5 incubators. IIM Ahmedabad, IIT Mumbai, Forge IIT Madras, and T hub who will work in tandem to provide solutions for defence requirements in Airforce, Navy and for Army.

The launch of challenges will provide filip to the innovation potential in the country, partnering with the best minds nationally and internationally.

Notably, with this challenge India is trying to reiterate the Israel entrepreneurship model in the defence establishment. In Israel, an entire defence startup ecosystem exists in the country with the government, the military and the various defence companies and startups being stakeholders of the system.

The three largest industrial entities in Israel ecosystem are the government-owned Israeli Aerospace Industry, Israeli Military Industries and the Rafael Arms Development Authority. The Maf’at, which is a joint administrative body of the Israeli Ministry of Defense and Israel Defense Forces coordinates between the Israeli MoD, the IDF and the military industries and startups.

Also Read - Tel Aviv University and Tata Trusts Join Hands to Bring Israeli Tech to Indian Farmers

Israel also has the Yozma program, which is a fund of funds to invest in local venture capital funds, while India has Defence Innovation Fund (DIF). The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) actively encourages innovation in its units. Military veterans of the IDF use their acquired experience to launch their own technology start-ups for defence sector. This essentially form “a feedback loop” in the entire Israeli defence sector.

Other countries are also wising up to this approach of including small to medium scale innovation in the military industrial complex. The European Defense Action Plan, 2016 lays a sharp focus on engagement with and investment in SMEs, startups and midcaps for the defence industry.

Source - DDiNews | Reference - iDEX PDF

[Top Image - Monecontrol.com]

Bangalore Startup Alpha Design Signs Pact with ISRO to Assemble Satellites

Bangalore-based Alpha Design Technologies Pvt. Ltd, a manufacturer and technological services provider in India's defence and paramilitary markets, announced the signing of a contract with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Indian space agency, for assembly, integration and testing of IRNSS satellites.

The ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), has signed an agreement with a consortium led by Alpha Design Technologies Pvt Ltd, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and the Tatas to assemble satellites.

Notably, this is the first set of agreements signed by ISRO, which is trying to rope in private partners to overcome its own constraints. The space agency is encouraging private players to form a small consortium to undertake satellite and rocket manufacturing work so that it can remain focused on research and development.

Each consortium led by Alpha Design, Tata, and BEL respectively, will work independently.

The Alpha Design-led consortium consists of six small and medium-sized enterprises, including Newtech Solutions; Aidin Technologies and DCX Cables from Bengaluru; Vinyas Technologies from Mysuru and Avantel Systems of Hyderabad. and Exseed Speed.

Also Read - India’s ISRO To Take On SpaceX With Its Own Smart and Reusable Rockets

Together, these private firms are expected to build at least 7 to 9 satellites -- divided equally between Alpha, BEL and Tata -- per year. The agreement is for three years and is extendable for two more years. The satellites will be assembled at ISRO Satellite Integration and Test Establishment (ISITE) facilities, which will separate enclosures for all the companies under ISAC/ISRO.

About Alpha Design Technologies, the startup offers its capabilities in delivering advanced defence electronics and aero structures, as well as R&D and manufacturing. The startup, under the guidance of ISRO, had already integrated and tested the high-end 1.65 tonne IRNSS-1i successfully. The satellite was launched on April 12, 2018, and is functioning excellently in outer space.

In next two years, the startup -- with the help of ISRO -- will be investing in creating, an ultra-modern satellite manufacturing, assembly, integration, and testing and qualification facilities, with a view to independently supply four to five satellites to ISRO.

As of now the startup is busy selecting 70 of their top rated employees which include engineers, diploma holders and ITI qualified, for them to be trained at ISRO for nine months. During the training at ISRO, the Alpha Design Technologies team would be assisted in on-job learning followed by actual assembly, integration and testing.

Speaking at the announcement, Colonel H. S. Shankar, Chairman and Managing Director, Alpha Design Technologies, said, “As part of the contract, initially our teams would get minimum ISRO supervision and later would independently be making complete satellites.”

Looking at the future prospective engagements with ISRO, Alpha Design Technologies is expecting to add more than 400 engineers, diploma holders and ITI qualified personnel to be part of Alpha Group, with annual turnover of Rs. 200 crore to Rs. 250 crore. The company had recently signed a multi-million dollar contract with Elbit Systems for manufacturing of 600 VHF communication devices for exports and later for large scale manufacture to cater for the requirements of the Armoured Corps.

Alpha Design is reportedly also planning to build its own facilities in the next 3-5 years. It is also scouting for investors and planning for an initial public offering (IPO) to mobilise funds to back the plan.

To recall, in March this year, ISRO has also tied up with Kerala to set up India's first of its kind ‘space park’ with the technical support from ISRO, in order to incubate and promote startups in the satellite and space technology sector.

Via - Business Standard

[Top Image - INSAT-3DR seen with two halves of payload faring of GSLV-F05 | Via - Zee Business]

Govt Issues Guidelines To Encourage Startups Undertake Weapon & Military Development Projects

India's defence ministry has issued new rules for homegrown startups to take part in military projects in an attempt to encourage Indian startups undertake research projects to develop or upgrade weapon systems and in turn reduce imports in this field.

Under the new rules, startups recognised by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) under certain categories will automatically qualify to take part in specified defence projects. These categories range from aeronautics, nanotechnology and Virtual Reality to renewable technology, robotics, green technology and internet of things.

Between 2012 and 2016, India accounted for 13% of global arms & weapons imports and has been spending worth nearly $3.5 billion to boost its ageing Soviet era military equipment.

According to an ET report, the government has simplified rules for relatively smaller research and development projects has kept the project open to all Indian companies. It has done away with any regulations for participation.

“For projects with estimated cost of prototype development phase not exceeding Rs 3 crore, no separate technical or financial criteria (will) be defined for both ‘start-ups’ and ‘other than startups’, to encourage their participation,” the new rules specify.

With these rules specified, the three services will now shortlist projects that can be awarded under the category. The Army, Air Force and Navy have already identified 53 projects that can be taken up on priority under the rules. These include Maneuverable Expendable Aerial Targets (MEAT) for Army Air Defence, light weight body armour, a robotic surveillance platform, diesel engines for boats, limpet mines, air to ground rockets and long range glide bombs.

Also Read - India Wasting Money on Defence Budget While Future of War is Artificial Intelligence, Says Pakistan's Ex-Vice Admiral

Notably, the production of Indian defence equipments prior to 2011 was completely in the hands of the Government of India until in 2016 it opened up the Foreign direct investment (FDI) to 49% from the existing 26%.

New Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 has a focus on achieving the "Make in India" vision by according topmost priority to 'Buy Indian - IDDM (Indian Designed, Developed and Manufactured)' and 'Buy (Indian)' categories.

There are several Indian startups & SMEs that cater to the Defense industry by supplying sub-assemblies and components and providing services like system integration. Under the Make in India initiative, these organizations are set to enhance their manufacturing and development efficiency, thereby contributing to making India self-reliant in defense production. Some of the system Integrators catering to the Defense sector in India are Mistral Solutions, Alpha Designs, Astra Microwave and SLN Technologies among others.

Also Read - Indian Defence Research Orgnization Boast To Develop Invisible Airplane

Numerous startups working in Medtech, artificial intelligence and Virtual reality/Augmented Reality are even helping Indian army and defence personnels.

In January this year, Axio Biosolutions, a medtech startup offering medical innovation very useful for soldiers, raised USD 7.4 million funding in Series B round from Ratan Tata's RNT Capital, which will be used for expansion to new markets, and development of high-impact medical products

Also, to recall, India has recently joined hands with Japan to launch robotics and artificial intelligence in the defence segment.

Via - Economic Times | Wikipedia |

[Top Image - disa-india.org]

Govt Issues Guidelines To Encourage Startups Undertake Weapon & Military Development Projects

India's defence ministry has issued new rules for homegrown startups to take part in military projects in an attempt to encourage Indian startups undertake research projects to develop or upgrade weapon systems and in turn reduce imports in this field.

Under the new rules, startups recognised by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) under certain categories will automatically qualify to take part in specified defence projects. These categories range from aeronautics, nanotechnology and Virtual Reality to renewable technology, robotics, green technology and internet of things.

Between 2012 and 2016, India accounted for 13% of global arms & weapons imports and has been spending worth nearly $3.5 billion to boost its ageing Soviet era military equipment.

According to an ET report, the government has simplified rules for relatively smaller research and development projects has kept the project open to all Indian companies. It has done away with any regulations for participation.

“For projects with estimated cost of prototype development phase not exceeding Rs 3 crore, no separate technical or financial criteria (will) be defined for both ‘start-ups’ and ‘other than startups’, to encourage their participation,” the new rules specify.

With these rules specified, the three services will now shortlist projects that can be awarded under the category. The Army, Air Force and Navy have already identified 53 projects that can be taken up on priority under the rules. These include Maneuverable Expendable Aerial Targets (MEAT) for Army Air Defence, light weight body armour, a robotic surveillance platform, diesel engines for boats, limpet mines, air to ground rockets and long range glide bombs.

Also Read - India Wasting Money on Defence Budget While Future of War is Artificial Intelligence, Says Pakistan's Ex-Vice Admiral

Notably, the production of Indian defence equipments prior to 2011 was completely in the hands of the Government of India until in 2016 it opened up the Foreign direct investment (FDI) to 49% from the existing 26%.

New Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 has a focus on achieving the "Make in India" vision by according topmost priority to 'Buy Indian - IDDM (Indian Designed, Developed and Manufactured)' and 'Buy (Indian)' categories.

There are several Indian startups & SMEs that cater to the Defense industry by supplying sub-assemblies and components and providing services like system integration. Under the Make in India initiative, these organizations are set to enhance their manufacturing and development efficiency, thereby contributing to making India self-reliant in defense production. Some of the system Integrators catering to the Defense sector in India are Mistral Solutions, Alpha Designs, Astra Microwave and SLN Technologies among others.

Also Read - Indian Defence Research Orgnization Boast To Develop Invisible Airplane

Numerous startups working in Medtech, artificial intelligence and Virtual reality/Augmented Reality are even helping Indian army and defence personnels.

In January this year, Axio Biosolutions, a medtech startup offering medical innovation very useful for soldiers, raised USD 7.4 million funding in Series B round from Ratan Tata's RNT Capital, which will be used for expansion to new markets, and development of high-impact medical products

Also, to recall, India has recently joined hands with Japan to launch robotics and artificial intelligence in the defence segment.

Via - Economic Times | Wikipedia |

[Top Image - disa-india.org]

India Wasting Money on Defence Budget While Future of War is Artificial Intelligence, Says Pakistan's Ex-Vice Admiral

A retired Vice Admiral of Pakistan has said that India is wasting money on it’s defence budget as the future of war is artificial intelligence (AI), reported Dawn, a Pakistan daily.

During a seminar tilted ‘Indian hegemonic design and its implications’, Arifullah Hussaini said,"I think India is wasting its money on defence. The future of war does not belong to conventional methods but artificial intelligence. Whosoever uses it well will win. Therefore, we have to learn artificial intelligence."

“This is the era of hybrid war which consists of multiple layers, including cyber warfare, conventional war, diplomacy, spread of fake news, foreign electoral intervention, etc.", he added.

Notably, what Hussaini said is quite right as a report on the effect of artificial intelligence on the US' national security predicted that AI could revolutionize wars as much as nuclear weapons. The report explains that improvements in AI and related technology may shake up balance of international power by making it easier for smaller nations and organizations to threaten big powers like the US.

Nuclear weapons may be easier than ever to build, but still require resources, technologies, and expertise while code and digital data used in AI-technologies tend to get cheap, or end up spreading around for free, fast. Machine learning has become widely used and image and facial recognition now crop up in science fair projects, said the report.

India, which has yet to launch a national policy on AI, is too late to have jump on artificial intelligence bandwagon as comparing to its next neighbor China, which stands second in the world when it comes to committing money for developing AI programmes. It has built a $2 billion research park dedicated to AI in western Beijing and its spending more millions on AI research at universities and private firms. The research community in China is also far more robust than in India.

Pakistan, on other hand, is far far behind in AI race in south-east Asia alone. The bad state of politics and terrorism is so high in the country a Pakistan media once sattired that amongst the jobs that will be killed by artificial intelligence is that of President of Pakistan, which is a head of state.

On a serious note, Pakistan do have handful of startups working in artificial intelligence such as ADDO AI, touted as Pakistan's first AI company, working in smart cities, microfinance and farming sector. Other than this most AI startup in the country is very mediocre and small utility based. And, none is contributing to defence sector or mechanism for that matter.

While in India, there are numerous startups working in defence area and even helping Indian army and defence personnel. However both India and Pakistan do not have any local AI firm of that big level as the US "Tony Stark-like firms", pun intended.

Speaking about India countering China in AI race, it has recently joined hands with Japan to launch robotics and artificial intelligence in the defense segment.

Moreover, Malcolm Frank, head of strategy of Cognizant, a world-leading professional services firm, said in an interview that India along with United States and China are way ahead of everyone else in the AI game and are currently the top three contenders for the numero uno throne.

Top Image - Guardianlv.com

India's 9 Defence Tech Startups Giving Boost To Indian Armed Forces

The Indian Startup ecosystem has been witnessing a new trend from last couple of years. Innovation which was somewhere lost in a sea of repetitiveness is now seeing a comeback in the Indian ecosystem. After making a mark in sectors like eCommerce, fintech and AI etc., the Indian Startup ecosystem is all set to take the defence sector by storm with its innovative out-of-the-box ideas.

It is important to note that till a few years ago, the Indian defence sector was an exclusive club of large-cap companies but thanks India's Startup Revolution in last one decade a lot of small startups entering in to the defence sector.

While not only is the Indian startup sector finally looking at the defence sector, the latter is also warming up to the idea of inducting latest technology and gadgets in order to be at the same level as other countries. Recently, we reported that the National Security Guard (NSG), which is an Indian special forces unit under Ministry of Home Affairs, decided to induct some of the smartest gadgets and arms being used by SWAT teams and Special Forces all over the world based on the experiences it has had in preventing terror attacks and hostage situations in closed urban spaces.

Here's a list of India's top 9 defence-based tech startups:

Tonbo Imaging

Bengaluru

Founders: Arvind Lakshmikumar and Ankit Kumar

A spinout of Sarnoff Corporation and Stanford Research International, Tonbo Imaging has a rich experience on a range of battlefield modernization technologies, immersive surveillance and strategic electronics for military applications. The company principals and management have global experience being principal investigators for defense and aerospace programs.

The startup designs, builds and deploys advanced imaging and sensor systems to sense, understand and control complex environments. It offers a suite of solutions that address critical market needs in military reconnaissance, critical infrastructure security and transportation safety. The company’s offerings consist of sophisticated imaging products, custom design applications and intellectual property cores that can be licensed by OEM’s and systems integrators.

ideaForge

Mumbai

[caption id="attachment_115859" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Core Team ideaForge -- (L-R) with Ankit Mehta, Vipul Joshi, Amardeep Singh and Rahul Singh.[/caption]

Founders: Ankit Mehta, Rahul Singh, Ashish Bhat

The Navi Mumbai-based startup is the brainchild of three IITians. It offers services only to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and paramilitary and security forces. Their clients include National Security Guard, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Disaster Response Force and Delhi Police.

NETRA, which is the flagship product of ideaForge, has been developed by the company in collaboration DRDO, Ministry of Defense, India. It is a man-portable unmanned aerial vehicle which can be launched from a small clearing by the roadside and made to fly over the area of interest up to a height of 400 meters. It is capable of sending continuous real time video of every movement on ground of people, vehicles or any movement without anybody knowing that they are being seen.

The clients of Ideaforge includes Gujarat Police, CRPF, BSF, Maharashtra Police and NDRF.

Aadyah Aerospace

Bengaluru

Founders: Shaju Stephen, V Sunderarajan, Pradeep Kumar, Sabu Joseph, Amarnath Reddy, Varun Kurup

The word ‘AADYAH’ in Sanskrit refers to the 'original' or 'first power' from which all the five elements or senses originated. True to its name, AADYAH strives to achieve greatness in all things related to aeronautics, space and defense engineering and technology solutions.

Founded in 2016, AADYAH manufactures and develops electronic mechanical actuators, control actuation systems, and electronic optics systems for missiles and launch vehicles, and all adheres to Indian Ministry of Defence’s Defence Procurement Policy 2016 (DPP). The startup also runs a centre for excellence in design, engineering, integration and testing to develop mission-critical aerospace and defense systems.

CM Envirosystems

Bengaluru

[caption id="attachment_115863" align="aligncenter" width="700"] PAC series of environmental chambers, customised to integrate an electro dynamic shaker. Combined environmental and vibration tests can be conducted as per various international and military standards[/caption]

Founders: Dr. Jacob Crasta

The company claims to be fastest growing Environmental Test Chamber manufacturers in the world. Over the years, CM Envirosystems has gained a reputation of being among the most reliable global manufacturers of Environmental Test Chambers by providing testing solutions to Aerospace, Automobile, Electrical, Electronics and Defense industries.

The company has already created customized test chambers to test equipments of various famous projects like AGNI. It is also into providing chambers that help the defense forces in testing various weapons in extreme conditions of Siachen and Thar.

CRON Systems

New Delhi

[caption id="attachment_115865" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Laser Wall Technology by Cron Systems[/caption]

Founders: Tommy Katzenellenbogen, Tushar Chhabra, Saurav Agarwala

Founded with a vision of pushing the borders with IoT, CRON Systems is a disruptive startup within the multi-billion Dollar border defence space that is developing state-of-the-art Intrusion detection systems. These systems developed by the startup implement the latest IoT technologies and designs at a fraction of the costs of other leading products in that space.

The deep-tech company is focused on deploying cutting edge solutions for border security. The company has already bagged orders from the Border Security Force and the Indian Army to install its products to secure the international borders as well as perimeter of sensitive installations like army camps, airports etc. Some of its solutions have also been adapted for commercial markets.

Earlier this year, the startup was in the news for raising funding from India’s premier early stage investor, YourNest.

Aurora Integrated Systems

Bengaluru

Founders: Seven Graduates from IIT Kanpur

Supported and funded by the TATA group, the startup is into developing indigenous technology, manufacturing and integrating state-of-the-art airborne systems with a focus on small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).

By tailoring its systems to meet requirements ranging from wartime operations to counter-terrorism and anti-insurgency operations, the startup aims to continue serving the needs of the Armed forces and Peace Keeping forces. The startup constantly innovates in order to get a better understanding of the requirements of safe-guarding borders and securing homeland.

It is the first company in the country that is developing UAV technology without any foreign assistance whatsoever. This particular factor is not only a factor of pride for the startup but it allows the company to pass on the economic benefits to its consumers.

Axio Biosolutions

Bengaluru

[caption id="attachment_115866" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Battlefield proven Military Variant of Axiostat Chitosan haemostatic dressing currently used by Army, Paramilitary of India and abroad[/caption]

Founders: Leo Mavely, Ashish Pandya

A Medtech company focused on Advanced Wound Care products, the startup is the producer of the first haemostatic emergency dressing in India called Axiostat. The life-saving innovation is now being used by emergency service providers such as ambulances, by defense personnel such as the Indian military, and by numerous trauma and casualty care centres in hospitals.

TimeTooth Technologies

Noida

Founders: Amitav Chaudhuri, Girish Mudgal and Sudhakar Medepalli

TimeTooth Technologies is an engineering solutions company conceived with an aim of developing new products that stretch the envelope of functional performance. The firm is currently into making landing gears India's own Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or Drone called Rustom II.

The 30-member company has been completely involved in designing, development and manufacture of the landing gear. The drone will be used by India's defence forces for long range and high altitude surveillance.

VizExperts

New Delhi

Founders: Praveen Bhaniramka

A technology startup in the visual computing field, VizExperts is into developing complex turnkey solutions that simplify data to decision transformation at various organizations.

In 2014, the startup's digital sand model technology was inducted by the Army for real-time operation planning, enabling faster and critical decision making. Digital Sand Model is basically a revolutionary solution for operation planning, mission briefing and training, for the Indian paramilitary, police, and the armed forces.

Another VizExperts' service being used by the Indian army is GEORBIS. It is a 3D geospatial platform that helps the army in real- time operation planning, and enable faster and critical decision making. The platform is equipped with various interaction devices, software and terrain data to plan the operation in real-time.

[Top Image - Shutterstock]

India's 9 Defence Tech Startups Giving Boost To Indian Armed Forces

The Indian Startup ecosystem has been witnessing a new trend from last couple of years. Innovation which was somewhere lost in a sea of repetitiveness is now seeing a comeback in the Indian ecosystem. After making a mark in sectors like eCommerce, fintech and AI etc., the Indian Startup ecosystem is all set to take the defence sector by storm with its innovative out-of-the-box ideas.

It is important to note that till a few years ago, the Indian defence sector was an exclusive club of large-cap companies but thanks India's Startup Revolution in last one decade a lot of small startups entering in to the defence sector.

While not only is the Indian startup sector finally looking at the defence sector, the latter is also warming up to the idea of inducting latest technology and gadgets in order to be at the same level as other countries. Recently, we reported that the National Security Guard (NSG), which is an Indian special forces unit under Ministry of Home Affairs, decided to induct some of the smartest gadgets and arms being used by SWAT teams and Special Forces all over the world based on the experiences it has had in preventing terror attacks and hostage situations in closed urban spaces.

Here's a list of India's top 9 defence-based tech startups:

Tonbo Imaging

Bengaluru

Founders: Arvind Lakshmikumar and Ankit Kumar

A spinout of Sarnoff Corporation and Stanford Research International, Tonbo Imaging has a rich experience on a range of battlefield modernization technologies, immersive surveillance and strategic electronics for military applications. The company principals and management have global experience being principal investigators for defense and aerospace programs.

The startup designs, builds and deploys advanced imaging and sensor systems to sense, understand and control complex environments. It offers a suite of solutions that address critical market needs in military reconnaissance, critical infrastructure security and transportation safety. The company’s offerings consist of sophisticated imaging products, custom design applications and intellectual property cores that can be licensed by OEM’s and systems integrators.

ideaForge

Mumbai

Founders: Ankit Mehta, Rahul Singh, Ashish Bhat

Core Team ideaForge -- (L-R) with Ankit Mehta, Vipul Joshi, Amardeep Singh and Rahul Singh

The Navi Mumbai-based startup is the brainchild of three IITians. It offers services only to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and paramilitary and security forces. Their clients include National Security Guard, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Disaster Response Force and Delhi Police.

NETRA, which is the flagship product of ideaForge, has been developed by the company in collaboration DRDO, Ministry of Defense, India. It is a man-portable unmanned aerial vehicle which can be launched from a small clearing by the roadside and made to fly over the area of interest up to a height of 400 meters. It is capable of sending continuous real time video of every movement on ground of people, vehicles or any movement without anybody knowing that they are being seen.

The clients of Ideaforge includes Gujarat Police, CRPF, BSF, Maharashtra Police and NDRF.

Aadyah Aerospace

Bengaluru

Founders: Shaju Stephen, V Sunderarajan, Pradeep Kumar, Sabu Joseph, Amarnath Reddy, Varun Kurup

The word ‘AADYAH’ in Sanskrit refers to the 'original' or 'first power' from which all the five elements or senses originated. True to its name, AADYAH strives to achieve greatness in all things related to aeronautics, space and defense engineering and technology solutions.

Founded in 2016, AADYAH manufactures and develops electronic mechanical actuators, control actuation systems, and electronic optics systems for missiles and launch vehicles, and all adheres to Indian Ministry of Defence’s Defence Procurement Policy 2016 (DPP). The startup also runs a centre for excellence in design, engineering, integration and testing to develop mission-critical aerospace and defense systems.

CM Envirosystems

Bengaluru

Founders: Dr. Jacob Crasta 

PAC series of environmental chambers, customised to integrate an electro dynamic shaker. Combined environmental and vibration tests can be conducted as per various international and military standards

The company claims to be fastest growing Environmental Test Chamber manufacturers in the world. Over the years, CM Envirosystems has gained a reputation of being among the most reliable global manufacturers of Environmental Test Chambers by providing testing solutions to Aerospace, Automobile, Electrical, Electronics and Defense industries.

The company has already created customized test chambers to test equipments of various famous projects like AGNI. It is also into providing chambers that help the defense forces in testing various weapons in extreme conditions of Siachen and Thar.

CRON Systems

New Delhi

Founders: Tommy Katzenellenbogen, Tushar Chhabra, Saurav Agarwala

Founded with a vision of pushing the borders with IoT, CRON Systems is a disruptive startup within the multi-billion Dollar border defence space that is developing state-of-the-art Intrusion detection systems. These systems developed by the startup implement the latest IoT technologies and designs at a fraction of the costs of other leading products in that space.

The deep-tech company is focused on deploying cutting edge solutions for border security. The company has already bagged orders from the Border Security Force and the Indian Army to install its products to secure the international borders as well as perimeter of sensitive installations like army camps, airports etc. Some of its solutions have also been adapted for commercial markets.

Earlier this year, the startup was in the news for raising funding from India’s premier early stage investor, YourNest.

Aurora Integrated Systems

Bengaluru

Founders: Seven Graduates from IIT Kanpur

Supported and funded by the TATA group, the startup is into developing indigenous technology, manufacturing and integrating state-of-the-art airborne systems with a focus on small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).

By tailoring its systems to meet requirements ranging from wartime operations to counter-terrorism and anti-insurgency operations, the startup aims to continue serving the needs of the Armed forces and Peace Keeping forces. The startup constantly innovates in order to get a better understanding of the requirements of safe-guarding borders and securing homeland.

It is the first company in the country that is developing UAV technology without any foreign assistance whatsoever. This particular factor is not only a factor of pride for the startup but it allows the company to pass on the economic benefits to its consumers.

Axio Biosolutions

Bengaluru

Founders: Leo Mavely, Ashish Pandya

Battlefield proven Military Variant of Axiostat Chitosan haemostatic dressing currently used by Army, Paramilitary of India and abroad

A Medtech company focused on Advanced Wound Care products, the startup is the producer of the first haemostatic emergency dressing in India called Axiostat. The life-saving innovation is now being used by emergency service providers such as ambulances, by defense personnel such as the Indian military, and by numerous trauma and casualty care centres in hospitals.

TimeTooth Technologies

Noida

Founders: Amitav Chaudhuri, Girish Mudgal and Sudhakar Medepalli

TimeTooth Technologies is an engineering solutions company conceived with an aim of developing new products that stretch the envelope of functional performance. The firm is currently into making landing gears India's own Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or Drone called Rustom II.

The 30-member company has been completely involved in designing, development and manufacture of the landing gear. The drone will be used by India's defence forces for long range and high altitude surveillance.

VizExperts

New Delhi

Founders: Praveen Bhaniramka

A technology startup in the visual computing field, VizExperts is into developing complex turnkey solutions that simplify data to decision transformation at various organizations.

In 2014, the startup's digital sand model technology was inducted by the Army for real-time operation planning, enabling faster and critical decision making. Digital Sand Model is basically a revolutionary solution for operation planning, mission briefing and training, for the Indian paramilitary, police, and the armed forces.

Another VizExperts' service being used by the Indian army is GEORBIS. It is a 3D geospatial platform that helps the army in real- time operation planning, and enable faster and critical decision making. The platform is equipped with various interaction devices, software and terrain data to plan the operation in real-time.

[Top Image - Shutterstock]