Fri Sep 19 16:44:27 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary and a news article based on the text you provided:
**Summary:**
This news report from *The Hindu* details two major developments in India’s defense sector. First, a National Data Centre for Test Data Archival and Analysis will be established in Bengaluru within the next two years. This center, spearheaded by CEMILAC (a regulatory body under DRDO), aims to preserve critical R&D data, including designs, failure analysis, and prognostics, which are currently lost when researchers leave government agencies. The initiative addresses concerns about IP protection and data sharing. Second, following the success of drones in “Operation Sindoor,” the Indian Army is rapidly increasing drone production and integration across all levels, aiming for widespread deployment, potentially reaching the point where every soldier has access to a personal “Eagle” drone.
**News Article:**
**National Data Centre and Army Drone Expansion Signal Boost to Indian Defense Capabilities**
*Bengaluru, September 19, 2025* – India’s defense sector is poised for significant advancements with the announcement of a National Data Centre for Test Data and a major expansion of the Indian Army’s drone capabilities.
A National Data Centre for Test Data Archival and Analysis will be established in Bengaluru within the next two years, according to A.P.V.S. Prasad, chief executive of the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC). Speaking at the Drone Day 2025 event organized by NSRCEL at IIM Bangalore, Prasad emphasized the need to preserve vital research and development data that is currently lost due to a lack of centralized archiving.
“Most of the R&D in our country till today have been carried out by government agencies and there is no archiving of the design efforts, failure mode analyses, prognostics, and design,” Prasad stated. “The data goes with the people who are going home after retirement. So we should set up a National Data Centre for Test Data where we can archive this data.”
The centre, to be located at CEMILAC, a regulatory body under DRDO, will host archives of designs, failure mode analyses, prognostics, and other crucial data. Prasad acknowledged concerns surrounding intellectual property rights and data sharing, stating that a national committee has been formed to create a framework for data protection.
In related news, the Indian Army is significantly scaling up its drone programs following the successful deployment of autonomous warfare systems in “Operation Sindoor.” Colonel Lakshya Chauhan, project head, Drone Manufacturing, Indian Army, told *The Hindu* that the army is experiencing a surge in drone integration at all levels.
“After Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army realised that there is a lot of potential for drones… the army is trying to either assemble, understand, fly or manufacture drones wherever possible,” Chauhan said. He emphasized the immediate need for drones in large numbers, a need identified during the operation.
Chauhan also highlighted the army’s ambition to equip every soldier with a personal “Eagle” drone, fulfilling the vision of Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi. “The Chief of Army Staff has a dream of having an Eagle drone on every soldier’s arm. We are fulfilling that,” he stated.
These initiatives signal a commitment to technological advancement and self-reliance within India’s defense sector.
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