Now Reading: Defence innovation schemes move 58 prototypes towards procurement
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Defence innovation schemes move 58 prototypes towards procurement
India’s defence innovation programmes have moved 58 prototypes towards acquisition, with an estimated procurement value of Rs 3,853 crore, the Economic Times Government reports. Forty-five procurement contracts worth nearly Rs 2,326 crore…
The Story in Brief
India’s defence innovation programmes have moved 58 prototypes towards acquisition, with an estimated procurement value of Rs 3,853 crore, the Economic Times Government reports. Forty-five procurement contracts worth nearly Rs 2,326 crore have been concluded. Since iDEX began in 2018, 676 start-ups, MSMEs and individual innovators have joined the ecosystem, while 566 challenges were opened and 548 design and development contracts signed, as of February 2026.
The iDEX platform links military problem statements with private developers, offering funding, mentoring, testing and access to users. Support has risen from up to Rs 1.5 crore under the original scheme to Rs 10 crore through iDEX Prime. ADITI, launched in 2024 with a Rs 750 crore outlay, offers grants of up to Rs 25 crore for critical technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum systems and anti-drone equipment.
The Indian Opinion
Claims that every funded prototype proves a defence breakthrough are premature. The harder test is whether systems pass demanding military trials, work reliably in difficult conditions and enter regular service at sensible cost. The opposite claim, that start-ups remain locked out of defence procurement, also ignores the 45 contracts already concluded. Future progress should be judged by the number of prototypes converted into deployed equipment, not announcements or challenge counts.
Source: government.economictimes.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
