What is 'Inno Yoddha', Indian Army's Defence Innovation Initiative That Identified 22 Soldier-led Innovations?

synopsis

Indian Army

Inno Yoddha is an annual innovation competition and seminar organised by the Indian Army to bring out in-house innovation and technological advancements.

The event encourages soldiers to develop practical solutions for operational challenges and align to achieve self-reliance. Inno Yoddha is an inter-command competition and various problem-solvers from within the Army take part in it by presenting their novel ideas, standing true to its name—Inno (meaning Innovation) and Yoddha (meaning warrior).

Innovations are selected through rigorous evaluation from unit to Command Headquarters levels to enhance operational efficiency and address capability gaps.

The event showcases technological innovations developed by Army personnel who may have closely experienced the working and functioning of various platforms or combat scenarios and may have organically come up with solutions for the betterment of troops operating these platforms.

Inno Yoddha’s focus has been on areas such as AI, software applications, unmanned aerial platforms, and counter-drone systems apart from the integration of advanced solutions onto age-old military platforms.

Inno Yoddha represents a significant initiative by the Indian Army for in-house innovation for modernisation and self-reliance. By fostering a culture of innovation among soldiers and collaborating with external partners, the Army aims to address operational challenges more effectively while aligning with national goals of technological advancement and indigenisation.

Through Inno Yoddha, the Army Design Bureau (ADB) facilitates collaboration between the Army, academia, and industry partners to develop selected innovations into military-grade solutions.

This collaboration supports technology transfer to private industries, promoting indigenous production and self-reliance.

Additionally, technology has been transferred to the private industry for three of these innovations. While Vidyut Rakshak has already been rolled out in bulk, for Exploder and Agni Ashtra, technology has been transferred to private companies.

The last edition of Inno Yoddha held in December 2024 in New Delhi saw participants presenting innovations that could be applied in different areas of operations. The innovations were divided into different categories such as Operational Logistics, AI and Software, Capability Enhancement, Electronic Warfare, and Unmanned Systems.

Some of the inventions across these categories included—Advanced Flood Monitoring System for providing early warning of rising water levels via SMS alerts, enabling responders to act swiftly and implement effective response mechanisms; a low-cost fabrication drone to provide a low-cost alternative for combat drone & anti-drone training; BAAZ Attack Drone is a multi-weapon attack drone capable of firing Rocket Launcher, small arms, grenade launcher and to drop mortar bombs or explosives on designated targets; remotely operated NSVT to motorise the elevation and traverse mechanisms of the T72 tank; NABH AI as an AI-based solution to the problem which captures a photo of the aerial object and feeds to the computer for AI-based analysis; and Flight Monitoring System for the Cheetah and Chetak helicopters among others.

The ‘Inno-Yoddha 2024-25’ saw select innovations being taken forward through product improvement by Research and Development (R&D)/Design and Development (D&D)/Army Technology Board (ATB) Projects and Base Workshops.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) are obtained for the selected innovations and post successful upgradation and ruggedisation, the technology is transferred to the industry to meet the requirements of industrial-grade bulk-produced products for the Indian Army.

The last edition saw a total of 75 innovations from diverse domains across the Indian Army were fielded, after the selection from unit level to formation level and finally the respective Command HQs. Out of these, 22 top innovations were displayed during the event and felicitated by the COAS.

These will be taken forward for production. The operational challenges faced by the Indian Army are varied and often aggravated by the vagaries of terrain, weather, and adversarial threats. The Indian Army promotes in-house innovations, which are based on the challenges experienced by the troops in the field army.

Innovations undergo extensive trials for ruggedisation and technological enhancements in collaboration with academia and start-ups, funded through the Army Technology Board (ATB) and Indigenisation Research & Development (IR&D) funds.

In its efforts toward the ‘Decade of Transformation,’ the Indian Army remains committed to shaping a future where innovation, resilience, and self-reliance drive India’s military prowess.

Ashu Maan is an Associate Fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies. He is currently pursuing his PhD from Amity University, Noida, in Defence and Strategic Studies.