The Indian Air Force expects the development of an indigenous next-generation communication system, the Software Defined Radio, conceived by the Defence Research and Development Organisation to finish by the end of this year, as reported by Business Line.

The system establishes a secured wireless communication network connecting fighter aircraft and ground stations, incorporating enhanced security protocols for operations.

The Indian Navy has already integrated the DRDO-developed SDR Tactical system to enable ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore, and ship-to-air voice, video, and data communication for network-centric operations while running four channels simultaneously.

The Indian Army is likewise integrating the indigenous SDR MANPAC system across its various arms and units. This equips them with high data transmission rates alongside Mobile Ad hoc Network capabilities, significantly boosting operational readiness.

Upon reaching the production stage, the SDR will provide the IAF with a native alternative to transition its communication infrastructure. Currently, the IAF relies on the Israeli B-Net system produced by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, which was acquired following a contract signed in 2017.

BK Das, Director General at DRDO's Bangalore-based Electronic Communication Systems cluster, confirmed that work on an SDR dedicated to the IAF continues, with expectations to prove specific waveforms by the end of this year. He noted that SDR variants for the Army and Navy have already been handed over.


Under SDR technology, waveforms are entirely defined, generated, and shaped using software and programmable logic, moving away from the fixed, dedicated hardware circuits utilized in legacy communication systems.

State-owned Bharat Electronics Limited serves as the primary manufacturing partner for the DRDO-designed Army and Navy SDR variants, supported by domestic supply chains from local industry and Start-Up enterprises.

Once the overarching SDR communication network architecture is established across the tri-services, secure voice, video, and data flows will become seamless, directly supporting the government's push toward Theaterisation of commands for modern warfare.

The Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory, a central DRDO hub for SDR system design, is developing the next version of the Indian Radio Software Architecture standard to ensure interoperability across military communications.

IRSA 1.0 was released in October 2025 to establish comprehensive software specifications, standardised APIs, execution environments, waveform portability, certification, and conformance mechanisms.

This transition from legacy single-purpose hardware-centric radios to flexible SDRs required extensive development, whereas major global militaries including the US, France, the UK, and Germany shifted away from older hardware architectures nearly two decades ago.

Agencies