4 min readApr 25, 2026 09:55 PM ISTThe manufacturing of the platforms has been carried out by two industry partners – Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Bharat Forge Limited supported by many MSMEs. (Image: @SpokespersonMoD/X)CHAIRMAN OF the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Samir V Kamat on Saturday expressed concern that industries’ quote very low value for becoming the Development cum Production Partner (DcPP) which vitiates the process. He also expressed confidence that the process will evolve and a mechanism which is fair and transparent will be established.Kamat was speaking on Saturday in Ahilyanagar at the unveiling ceremony of the Vikram VT21 — the Advanced Armoured Platforms (Tracked and Wheeled), which has been designed and developed by Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (VRDE), Ahilyanagar. Both the platforms have been integrated with indigenously-designed and developed 30 mm Crewless Turret, with advanced features to meet the mobility, fire power and protection requirements. The manufacturing of the platforms has been carried out by two industry partners – Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Bharat Forge Limited supported by many MSMEs.Speaking at the ceremony, Kamat said, “It is very clear that in the world that we live in today, the country has to become self-reliant in defence systems, defence technologies. If we have to achieve our dream of becoming a developed nation by 2047, we have to be strong in defence so that our economy can grow without being hampered by our enemies. And for that, Atmanirbharta is not just a slogan but it is an absolute need. So the government’s broad vision is very clear. Systems which industry can do on its own, DRDO should not do. Systems which are complex and have some risks involved where industry may not want to take those risks because returns are not clear and the time required for developing those systems are not well defined — these should be done by DRDO but should be done in partnership with industry. So that is how we evolved the DcPP (Development cum Production Partner) model where for any complex system that we work on, we will have two industry partners, as long as the volumes are sufficiently large.”He further said, “Dr Chandrika Kaushik (DRDO’s Director General of Production Coordination and Services Interaction) has played a significant role in evolving the mechanism for selecting the DcPPs. I would still say that it is a work in progress because every DcPP case we do, we find some complications. There are cases where industries put very low value for becoming the DcPP which then vitiates the process. But I am sure this process will evolve and we will come to a well-established mechanism which is fair, transparent and will enable quick development. And it is a good example where the DRDO lab such as VRDE along with its partner labs working with two DcPPs have gone from the design to an actual prototype which is ready to be rolled out, in three years.”DRDO Chairman further said, “DRDO’s role which the government has also envisioned is also to ensure that we don’t only do system design. We also work on the subsystems. We work on critical technologies to ensure that our dependence on foreign sources is limited to very few things. So I am very happy when Dr. Pratik Kishore mentioned that this vehicle is already indigenous to more than 60 percent indigenous and we are going to take up development to ensure that by the time production starts, this value will be increased further. I am sure all of you will work together to ensure that the challenging task which lies ahead of going through the development trials, the user trials, the acceptance from the users — Indian Army, finally scaling up the production will also happen seamlessly as the development has happened. And I am sure Dr. Chandrika Kaushik has set you a three year time frame and I am sure you will achieve it before that.”Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...Apr 25: Latest News01Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal fire RCB to five-wicket win over GT in Chinnaswamy farewell02Trump dispatches Witkoff, Kushner to Pakistan for new talks with Iran’s foreign minister, JD Vance won’t attend: White House03Why even paid seats aren’t guaranteed: The lesson one passenger learned on a Pune-Bengaluru flight04Midnight matches, money parked in cricket: Why Indian broadcasters are shying away from FIFA World Cup05UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Economy MCQs on PM SVANidhi scheme, Coffee in India and more (Week 159)