A range of homegrown, niche technologies will be on display at the Bharat Mandapam on October 4-5 as Indian Navy unveils an updated indigenisation road map during the Swavlamban seminar, officials said Wednesday. Defence attaches and diplomats from more than 50 friendly foreign countries are expected to attend the mega event. Showcasing the 75 new technologies — from ultra endurance swarm drones to firefighting systems and blue-green lasers for underwater applications — will underline the Navy’s progress since it announced, at the seminar’s maiden edition last year, to develop the new technologies as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. That promise, made in the presence of PM Narendra Modi, has been kept, Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh told reporters. “Today, I can say with confidence that the Swavlamban initiative has gained critical mass, and is gathering continuous momentum,” he said. Vice Admiral Singh said dedicated teams of officers have also, over the past year, examined, processed and pursued all the proposals received to ensure the Navy has a range of products cleared in trials, ready or close to ready for induction. “We have already obtained Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for 12 such cases, worth close to Rs 1,500 crore, and procurement orders for products worth Rs 200 crore among these have already been signed. In the coming weeks, we are looking to conclude many more such contracts,” he said. Officials said the Navy has been encouraging development of new products under the ‘Sprint’ initiative launched at the Naval Innovation and Indignation Organisation (NIIO) seminar in July last year. These products are being developed under the Innovation for Defence Excellence Scheme of the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Navy’s Technology Development Acceleration Cell. “The results have been to our satisfaction, and we are confident that many of the products that have been developed, as part of this initiative, will find their way into the other armed forces, government and civil sectors, and also export to friendly foreign countries,” Vice Admiral Singh said, adding that converting technologies into products will take time. He said many of the products to be eventually developed from these technologies will also have takers in the Army and the Air Force and among civilians, besides a significant export potential as well. Since last year, the Navy received around 1,100 proposals from startups and MSMEs in response to the 75 technology challenges, with 118 firms declared the winners. Commodore Arun Golaya, head of the Navy’s technology development acceleration cell, said a lightweight fire fighting suit made from carbon nanotubes and an aerogel-based fabric are among technologies which have already gone through trials aboard aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. According to officials, in addition to the plenary session on October 4, Swavlamban will have sessions dedicated to innovation and aviation. The sessions on innovation entails discussions on the ‘Sprint’ initiative followed by interactions on procurement, policies and certification. In addition, several launches and major policy announcements concerning all three services are expected to be made. The second day will feature sessions on indigenisation and armament, including an interactive session with the industry on Swavlamban 2.0 document. It will also feature breakout sessions on medical innovations.
