By Staff Correspondent
Furthering its commitment to the Central Government’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, the Indian Army has signed its second procurement contract through Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX). The deal was reached with Bangalore-based firm Astrome Tech Pvt Ltd on 9 June 2023 to acquire a locally produced ‘Tactical LAN Radio’. This marks the Indian Army’s second deal made under the auspices of iDEX.
The Tactical LAN Radio is an advanced high bandwidth wireless radio equipment designed to provide robust and failsafe communication, specially tailored for rugged and remote terrains. It promises enhanced communication range, a built-in frequency hopping mechanism to thwart potential interception, and can sustain continuous operation for 48 hours without breakdown.
Launched by the Prime Minister in April 2018, iDEX aims to stimulate innovation and technological advancements in Defence and Aerospace. It seeks to engage research institutes, academia, and industry players, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups, and individual innovators. The programme offers grants and funding along with other forms of support to encourage research and development with the potential for future integration into the Indian Defence and Aerospace Organisation.
iDEX has made significant strides over the last four years, establishing strong connections with startups and innovators and gaining momentum within the defence startup community. Currently, 42 projects related to the Indian Army are being developed through the Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC), Open Challenges and iDEX PRIME scheme, providing support to 41 startups to develop cutting-edge solutions for the Indian Army’s challenges.
The Indian Army has dedicated a nodal officer and nominated a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for each challenge to provide continuous support and monitor the progress of the projects. Additional iDEX projects of the Indian Army, approved under the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), are nearing finalisation and are expected to be formalised into contracts soon.
