India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signs two technology transfer agreements on August 21, 2026 to strengthen indigenous naval manufacturing

Key facts

• DRDO's Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL) signed two Licensing Agreements for Transfer of Technology (LAToT) with Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) and private firm Vertex Engineering Systems Pvt Ltd.
• The agreement with BDL covers the production of the Submarine Fired Decoy (SFD) Mohini, an underwater countermeasure system launched from a submarine's decoy launch tubes or torpedo tubes to counter acoustic-homing torpedoes.
• SFD Mohini, developed over three years starting in 2019, uses acoustic deception and jamming by mimicking the acoustic signature, propeller noise and sonar echoes of a real submarine and by generating high-intensity broadband acoustic noise.
• The agreement with Vertex Engineering Systems Pvt Ltd covers technology for the fabrication, installation and commissioning of the LM2500 gas turbine.
• The LM2500, derived from the TF39 aircraft engine, is the world's most widely used marine gas turbine and serves as a booster engine in warships including frigates, destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers.