India has been moving steadfastly on the path towards Atmanirbharta or self-reliance. The Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) is another one of the government's current initiatives to drive self-reliance in the naval sector by twinning Indigenisation-Innovation.
Set up in August 2020, the NIIO is in pursuance of the draft Defence Acquisition Policy 2020 (DAP 20). The policy mandates all of India's armed forces to set up an innovation and indigenisation program in their organisations.
Self-reliance and indigenisation have been a focus of the Indian Navy for over five decades. The Navy has also been resolute in its focus on achieving these goals. Achievements in the "design and development" of many warships, construction of both conventional and nuclear-propelled submarines in Indian shipyards, and technology-enabled systems, devices, and platforms have been major areas of focus to drive self-reliance.
The current Indian Navy Indigenisation Plan (INIP) 2015-2030 focuses on increasing dexterity in developing technology-enabled systems, devices, and platforms. It calls for "a need to infuse state-of-the-art technologies in partnership with the Indian industry and prepare our human capital to optimally exploit them to generate maximum combat power".
The NIIO has made collaborative agreements with the laboratories for futuristic technologies under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Indian Navy is further looking to set up additional infrastructure to develop the capacity to fully exploit the 4IR technologies that are causing major disruptions in naval affairs across the globe.
To further this cause, the NIIO signed an MOU with the Defence Innovation Organization to work on a collaborative project called SPRINT (Supporting Pole-Vaulting in Research and Development) at the NIIO's maiden seminar, "Swavlamban," held in New Delhi this year. The NIIO announced that they are looking at a minimum of 75 indigenous technologies and products developed on Indian shores to strengthen India's defence.
Indian organisations such as Athena Security are working with the iDEX-DIO and the NIIO to develop solutions that strengthen India's defence posture. Defence products such as Athena's Gyro Stabilized Weapon Platform have been selected to be a part of the defence innovation initiative by iDEX-NIIO. This product delivers accuracy and precision and avoids casualties while also preserving resources. Several other technology areas and security-focused technologies are also a part of this wide scope.
Driving this technology push is the realisation that the growing sophistication of security threats now demands increasingly sophisticated software solutions and products. These products must now not only protect but also provide relevant information to prevent imminent threats.
Also Read : Why This Is the Right Time for India's Indigenisation Push in Defence and Security Solutions
Defence preparedness can also improve by driving innovation in the areas of mission-critical communication systems. These communication systems must deliver mission-critical communication services over LTE and conventional networks. However, the security, reliability, and resilience of the system should be uncompromising while being completely compliant with 3GPP specifications, namely, Mission Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT), Mission Critical Video (MCV), and Mission Critical Data (MCD).
Technology solutions can extend core communication functionalities with unique features that go beyond 3GPP specifications. They, however, must be device agnostic and support a range of devices & accessories, like headsets, microphones, and rugged devices.
Building capabilities in niche technology fields, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), autonomous and unmanned systems, and Information Technology, are now essential to drive innovation and indigenisation. This presents the Indian IT industry with an excellent opportunity to contribute to India's growth trajectory while driving self-reliance across the defence sector.