Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in Ministry of Defence, is helping Indian textile companies develop fabrics for Indian forces with its technical expertise.
These collective efforts can help India reduce its dependency on imported fabrics as well as create huge opportunities for Indian textile companies as annual fabric requirement for all forces is more than 1.5 crore metres per annum.
Dr. Mayank Dwivedi, Director of Directorate of Industry Interface and Technology management (DIITM) at DRDO said that idea of making blends such as advanced textiles blends using yarns of polyester/nylon 6,6/cotton/polyurethane/rayon will enhance operational capabilities and comfort of Indian Forces.
It is pertinent to mention here that companies in Gujarat and few other states are manufacturing advanced fabrics for defence applications.
Notably, few of the fabric samples of Surat-based companies have been approved by DRDO.
