Evolving Engineering Education, Growing Defence Industry

Engineering education is changing rapidly, for the better, presenting new challenges to the Engineering Institutions.

India’s Defence Industry has a huge potential. Will the Engineers and Education sector ride this wave? It depends on how both the sides work with synergy. In the days to come we are going to see a massive transformation. India is going to be a leading Defence manufacturer, propelled by the quad engines of Govt., Engineering Colleges, Private Sector and Young Engineers.

There are several reasons for India’s Defence sector having huge potential:

Over the past several decades, India has delayed strengthening of defence infrastructure. Consequently, there is a huge potential for filling up gaps in every area. And, with rapidly evolving technology, new possibilities and opportunities keep coming up.

While we have huge strength in Missiles, both in numbers and power, we are modestly equipped in weapon systems to carry and fire these missiles. We do not have 100% indigenously developed and continuously improved Jet Aircraft which will give armed forces air power nor sniper rifles for the army to fight modern wars.

Similar is the case with Naval power. We have few ships and are lacking behind in 100% ingeniously built nuclear submarines.

If you will note, the word indigenously developed is appearing several times in this article or any other narrative on future of Defence capabilities. And, that is keyword for India to focus.

Things are changing fast. And, herein lies huge opportunity for budding engineers and entrepreneurs

In the last few years, the Govt. has done several things to boost domestic manufacture of defence equipment and things are looking bright, in fact very bright.

With every OEM import, Govt. is trying to build in indigenous content into the contract.

We now know how to assemble world class Light Combat Aircraft. We are trying to build our own engine, and when done, this aircraft will be one the best in the world in its class. So, we need Engineers who are good in computational flow dynamics, air propulsion, thermodynamics, and materials which are all covered in M Tech in Defence Technology.

We are manufacturing large warships. Now, we are able load Brahmos missile on multiple generation of aircraft.

What is urgently needed are Production Lines. Who will build the Production Lines for the nation? Budding Engineers who have 360 degree view of the Defence Technology and Manufacturing, will be best suited to be trained in building and working production lines.

Not just domestic opportunity, but export opportunity to other countries is also opening up. For instance, HAL may have to open offices in whichever countries it sells its helicopters and Tejas fighter jets to.

As India’s economy grows, security threats will also grow, which incidentally is already happening, and this will lead to strengthening of defence infrastructure.

One of the best things that the Govt. has done is the announcement of M Tech courses in Defence Technology. This will ensure just passing and passed out engineers to take this course and in a short span of time augment their knowledge and skillsets to meet the demand for qualified defence technology engineers.

We should congratulate AICTE the Governing body of Engineering Colleges to have put together this course and 25 colleges have started offering this courses.

Meanwhile, due to rapid technological developments, traditional defence manufacturing has undergone tectonic changes and there is a massive need for engineers equipped with the latest trends and knowhow.

Intense publicity is needed to popularize this well designed course, and colleges too which have come forward to offer this course. It is the need of the hour if India has to grow economically. Without security at the border, economic growth will be stunted.

This article is another small step to popularizing this course and defence manufacturing.

Before we move ahead, we need to clarify why are we publishing an article on M Tech Defence Manufacturing Technology course on this website which is focused on Defence Manufacturing Industries.

The answer is, we are convinced that unless Engineering Colleges and Faculty participate in the massive initiative that the Govt. has undertaken – the initiative will not yield the results we anticipate and desire. One of the goal is to have maximum indigenous content in all our weapon systems. Without qualified Engineers of various capabilities, how and who will develop the indigenous content? Without motivated faculty, who will be the mentors for these budding Engineers?

We at defencemanufacturingindia.com are doing our bit, and encouraging Faculty to become Subject Matter Experts, we prefer to call them information hub owners for specific areas in the vast Defence Technology domain.

On this website, we are inviting faculty who can foresee the opportunities in Defence Business to become members. The invitation and benefits can be read here >> Invitation to Faculty.

It is not just the Governing bodies but the defence officers drawn from all forces, DPSU’s, have to spend a certain amount of their official time and visit Engineering Colleges and talk on various operational challenges and the way forward for the young Engineers of India. Lectures on operational challenges will enable students to think of technology solutions which will be the base for creating a vibrant startup culture.

In this context, I have one humble suggestion to the Ministry of Education – which is to take urgent steps to streamline inspection time imposed on colleges. The number of inspections conducted in Engineering colleges is on the higher side. This is a sincere request to Honorable Minister to address this issue.

Engineering Colleges on their part have shown time and again, that they have risen up to several challenges and have trained students to the best of their ability given all the constraints. Let us do everything possible to help and support them in these challenging times.

Engineering Colleges which have taken a Lead

25 Engineering Colleges have started the M Tech Defence Technology course, almost simultaneously, with the Govt. announcement.

Engineering Colleges which are offering this course should be specially congratulated.

Congratulations on starting M Tech in Defence Technology

The reasons for this accolades are:

The primary reason is the willingness to lead and grab a well analyzed opportunity.

The second one, which many may have not noticed – not one IIT or NIT has come forward to start this course. They should be leading the initiative, unless, there is some other reason which we are not aware of, or has not been revealed.

For these reasons alone, these colleges have to be given a boost in NIRF, because this course directly impacts country’s security.

Education is undergoing several changes. With the proliferation of online courses, and companies relying more on entrance tests to recruit freshers, students have several options and colleges have a challenge to overcome. As work from becomes more and more predominant, study from home also will.

The goal should be to offer a better alternative to students in terms of duration, content, value for fees, and importantly infrastructure.

Keeping with the current trends, colleges will have to design blended courses which will offer students flexibility, competitive fees, and at the same time excellent learning opportunity.

In this context, I urge colleges to seriously revamp their strategy taking into consideration their core strengths and building a strategy around this core strength.

Colleges will do well to stress on the latest technologies in all their course content delivery as this will make students eligible and suited to join premium companies and in turn will enhance profile of the college course.

One important highlight of the course is that the course content has been designed so that it is future proof. Which means that students who master these subjects are suitable for high end high salaried jobs.

Way forward for Engineering Colleges

Thrust Areas

In the two Engineering Colleges, I briefly worked with, the first and primary step I urged the management to take was to select and focus on Thrust Areas. The reasons I stress on this step is because the benefits are multiple. Firstly, it gives a clear direction to the Institution. Where to put your resources, how to build infrastructure, and which areas to specialize. There are several other reasons, which are mentioned elsewhere on this website.

But, I have to mention that during the course of writing this article, I noticed that one college has done this very well and announced it on their website. Do visit the page and check it out!

Tap into the Human Resource

Most Engineering Colleges do not seem to realize that they have the greatest asset other institutions cannot have. Human capital. Leverage on this.

Capitalize on Thrust Areas

After a college decides on thrust areas and chooses to focus on them – the question arises what next? Device a strategy to use this Thrust Area Focus, to increase digital presence, digital footprint, corporate connect, startups, foreign students admissions, international institutions connect and research.

Focus on Startups

It is as clear as daylight. The future is Startups. Create a Vibrant Startup Culture in your college. And, connect this startup participants to thrust area participants using innovative methods.

All the above steps are inter linked. Using modern technology, to connect internally and to the outside world, integrating and succeeding is just that much nearer.

M Tech Defence Technology Course Overview

M Tech in Defence Technology course is a curve ball bowled at the students.

There are some 30+ subjects. As it is an M Tech level course, the topics covered will be comprehensive and in detail.

To meet this challenge students have to decide which are the core areas they will focus on, meaning get to know as much as possible in the chosen core area. This decision will be very important one, so select which you think is best for you.

The core area could be Naval and AI, or Air Force and AI or Materials used in Defence Forces.

The course is designed to ensure everyone who undertakes it, gets a 360 degree overview of subjects which are the building blocks of defence equipment used by the armed forces.

Let us discuss key aspects of M Tech in Defence Technology Course.

Fundamental to advanced

The course is designed so that it is an extension of Bachelor level courses for some subjects.

It also takes care to include fundamental subjects for students of other branches.

Research potential

Subjects have been so selected, if a student desires to do research in a particular area, this M Tech will enhance his doctorate.

For instance, if a student undertakes research in AI in Flying Data – this course will lay a proper foundation for researching on say, Predicting Fuel Requirements for various situations and combinations, or if the choice is AI in Naval Data, this course has subjects to aid in this effort.

We know Materials play an important part of Defence Technology. The course lays a good foundation for Metallurgical Engineers to come out with materials for various weapon systems.

Job Oriented

The fact that Defence Business and Manufacturing is a rising industry means that students of batches in the first 10 years will get jobs as they and when they complete the course.

However, there is another very important and pertinent point which students and faculty have to note. The course has been designed so that students will be directly recruited into senior level or what is commonly known as management trainee level jobs. Which means student’s investment in terms of effort, time and money has a high rate of return.

Startup Focus

We all know that Startups will be the future.

There are several reasons.

One, every individual or a small group of individuals will be a micro-entrepreneurs due to the availability of computers at low prices and access to internet resulting information being available, and also importantly enabling everyone to connect to the world
Two, Corporate learning is laborious and response is also slow
Three, Seed Funds are available
Four, Venture Funds are eager to invest

Needless to say, Startups opportunities will be plenty in Defence Sector. Solutions are needed for low intensity conflicts, border patrolling, surgical operations, maintenance, littoral monitoring, drug trafficking across borders, and several such areas.

As the M Tech in Defence Technology Course lays a wide canvas enabling students to identify several areas of opportunity. In other words, this course gives students a 360 degree bird’s eye view of the Industry enabling them to come up with startups which have been considered judiciously at the seed stage itself.

Need of the Day
As India embarks on becoming a 5 Trillion dollar economy, (we are at 2 + Trillion today), there will be more enemies. Because, prosperity means more competition. No nation, especially our neighbors would want India to be a superpower.

Are youngsters listening?

We urgently need Defence Technology Engineers. Plain and Simple.

Let us get started and list each college which is offering M Tech in Defence Technology.

Engineering Colleges

This M Tech course is a big plus for Engineering Colleges.

Simply because, Bachelor Degree students of all branches Mechanical, Electronics, CS, Electrical and Civil engineering can undertake this course and benefit. So, students of all branches should read this article and follow the useful links given below for a better understandisng.

Pedigree is important. DKTE Engineering Institute, founded by a group of industries gives it the management culture to think ahead and start courses which will meet the needs anticipated. One of the first colleges to send in their writeup, the sentence that caught my eye was – “This will be our small contribution…” Humbleness in an institution’s culture is rare. Thank you Sir, for giving such a thought and setting the tone for this article.

DKTE being an autonomous institution, has its own advisory board, and committees.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, DKTE Engineering Institute has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located near Kolhapur, DKTE is a 3 hr away from Pune and Mumbai. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college is a NAAC “A+” accredited college.

Important Branches which form the foundation of Defence Technology are : Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science Engineering. Visiting these pages will give you an idea of the infrastructure.

Professor who is coordinating this course can be contacted using details given here:

Prof. (Dr.) R. N. Patil
Dean (Student / Infrastructure) and
Associate. Professor in Electronics Engineering
Mobile – +91-7020477108
ravinpatil@gmail.com

Pedigree is important. Started by Industrialists, Individuals, and Educationists, this institute is a leading institution in Telangana and the entire region.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, VNRVJIET has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses. An important aspect of this institution is the equal number of PG Courses it offers as the UG courses. Which translates to a higher degree of focus on M Tech courses, which are the stepping stone for patents and research.

Being an autonomous institution, it has its own advisory board, and committees.

A big plus for this institutions is the close proximity to DRDO institution and other R&D Centers

Located in Hyderabad, this institution is in one of the important cities of India today. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college has a NIRF rank of 135, and you can browse the details of the ranking here >> NIRF Rank Vallurupalli Nageswara Rao, Vignan Jyoti Institute. It is a NAAC “A++” accredited college.

Professor who is coordinating this course can be contacted using details given here:

Dr. Rajendra Prasad Somineni
M.Tech., Ph.D, SMIEEE, LMIETE, MISTE
Professor & Head ECE
Mob: 0-9949905788
Tel: (O) – +0091-040-23042758/59/60
Ext 3600/3603

NITTE Meenakshi has a head start in offering M Tech in Defence Technology. It has been running an Undergraduate course in Aeronautical Engineering for many years. This is a big plus for this institution for starting the Defence Technology course.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, NITIE Meenakshi has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Bengaluru, this institution is in the Aerospace Capital of India. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college has a NIRF rank of 168, and you can browse the details of the ranking here >> NIRF Rank of NITTE Meenakshi. It is a NAAC accredited college.

Important Branches which form the foundation of Defence Technology are : Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science Engineering. Visiting these pages will give you an idea of the infrastructure.

Professor who is coordinating this course can be contacted using details given here:

Dr. P N Tengli
Professor – Aeronautical Engg.,
prahalad.n@nmit.ac.in
+91 94837 15120, 94491 16893

The one college which has listed its thrust areas on its website is, BV Raju Institute of Technology.

It is really heartening to see that this college has taken the step and started the initiative to be an expert hub for thrust areas. This paves the way for industry, premier institutions and foreign institutions to collaborate in a meaningful way. The thrust areas are listed here>> Thrust Areas of R&D – BVRIT

BVRIT has the multi dimensional base to offer a M Tech in Defence Technology course.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, BVRIT has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Medak, institution is near large DPSU’s and Private Sector Companies. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college is a NAAC accredited college.

Important Branches which form the foundation of Defence Technology are : Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science Engineering. Visiting these pages will give you an idea of the infrastructure.

Though catering to a Rural student base, Basaveshwar Engineering College is a nationally recognized College. What I am referring to is that it is that much harder for such colleges to reach the stage BEC has reached.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, this institution has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Bagalkot, this institution is near the Belguam Aerospace SEZ. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college NAAC “A” accredited college.

Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science also has a head start in offering M Tech in Defence Technology as it already offers Aerospace and Aeronautical Bachelor courses.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Chennai, this institution is near the upcoming Defence Corridor of Tamil Nadu. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college has a NIRF rank of 172 and you can browse the details of the ranking here >> NIRF Rank of Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science. It is a NAAC accredited college.

Important Branches which form the foundation of Defence Technology are: Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science Engineering. Visiting these pages will give you an idea of the infrastructure.

The institution has done well to have Mr. S. Karthikeyan, Former group Director, DRDO who was actively involved in upgradation of military aircrafts. His focus is in control and guidance, communication and navigation systems for military aviation use.

And, Dr. K. Ramajeyathilagam, a scientist in NSTL, DRDO for almost 24 years and DGM (technical) at Infotech and currently working with HITS as a professor. His area of expertise include shock, vibration, impact response of structures, FEM, and aircraft structures. He has contributed doing structural analysis of the country’s first indigenous warship and structural analysis during water entry for missiles and torpedoes and first autonomous underwater vehicle developed by DRDO.

Professor to Contact for more Details regarding the course:

AMRITA (Amritapuri Campus) has an extensive focus on Computer Science, Electronics, Electrical Engineering. With such a background this college is ideally for Cybersecurity, Cyberwarfare and AI in Aeronautics and Naval Engineering wherein predications are of utmost importance as the costs of Naval and Air war equipment is very high.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Amritapuri, Kerala, this institution is well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, and is a NAAC accredited college.

Important Branches which form the foundation of Defence Technology are : Computer Science Engineering. Visiting this page will give you an idea of the infrastructure.

Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur has a strong background in Engineering Education, and has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Nagpur, this institution is near the ore mines and is near the Dhirubhai Aerospace Park, Nagpur. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college is a NAAC “A+” accredited college.

With an hoary and distinguished past, VJTI has a strong background in Engineering Education, and has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Mumbai, this institution is in the Industrial Capital of India. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college has a NIRF rank of 82, and you can browse the details of the ranking here >> NIRF Rank of VJTI.

With an Aeronautical Bachelor’s Degree already being offered, Kumarguru College of Technology is suited to offer M Tech in Defence Technology. With a strong background in Engineering Education, KCT has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Coimbatore, this institution is near the upcoming Defence Corridor of Tamil Nadu. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college has a NIRF rank of 90, and you can browse the details of the ranking here >> NIRF Rank of Kumaraguru College of Technology.

Being one of highly ranked Institute, Manipal Institute of Technology has many advantages to its credit to offer M Tech in Defence Technology.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, MIT has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Manipal, this institution is near the Aerospace Capital of India, Bengaluru. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college has a NIRF rank of 51, and you can browse the details of the ranking here >> NIRF Rank of Manipal Institute of Technology.

Details of the course offered are available here >> Details of M Tech in Defence Technology.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, VELS Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies, has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Inspired and founded by Shri. Kalaithanthai Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, is a leader among institutions. With a strong background in Engineering Education, Thiagarajar College of Engineering has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Madurai, this institution is very near the upcoming Defence Corridor of Tamil Nadu. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college has a NIRF rank of 71, and you can browse the details of the ranking here >> NIRF RanK Thiagarajar College of Engineering.

Important Branches which form the foundation of Defence Technology are : Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science Engineering. Visiting these pages will give you an idea of the infrastructure.

With a strong background in Engineering Education including Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Srivilliputtur, TN, this institution is near the upcoming Defence Corridor of Tami Nadu. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college has a NIRF rank of 56, and you can browse the details of the ranking here >> NIRF Rank of Kalasalingam Academy. It is a NAAC “A” accredited college. This is one of the top ranked engineering institutions offering this course.

Inspired by Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore Campus, this institution has a strong background in Engineering Education, and has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Coimbatore, this institution is near the upcoming Defence Corridor of Tamil Nadu. Very well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this institution is a NAAC “A++” accredited college. It is one of 100 Universities in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings

Important Branches which form the foundation of Defence Technology are : Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science Engineering. Visiting these pages will give you an idea of the infrastructure.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, Sri Sairam Engineering College, has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Kancheepuram, this institution is near the upcoming Defence Corridor in Tamil Nadu. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college has a NIRF rank of 109, and you can browse the details of the ranking here >> NIRF Rank of Sri SaiRam Engineering College.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, University Institute of Engineering and Technology has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Haryana, this institution is near the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridor. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, Pillai College of Engineering has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Navi Mumbai, this institution is in the Industrial Capital of India. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, is a NAAC “A+” accredited college.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, SASTRA University has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Thanjavur, this institution is near the upcoming Tamil Nadu Defence Corridor. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, is a NAAC “A+” accredited college.

Important Branches which form the foundation of Defence Technology are : Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science Engineering. Visiting these pages will give you an idea of the infrastructure.

With a strong background in Multi-Disciplinary Engineering Education, Bharath Institute of Engineering is ideally suited to start and offer M Tech in Defence Technology. Just a look at their course list you will see that this college is quite a step ahead in terms of the courses to offer. It is very heartening and encouraging to see that the management of this institution is facing the challenges and accordingly fine tune its courses. It is heartening to see the phrase “Need Blind Admission Policy” on their website.

Important Branches which form the foundation of Defence Technology are : Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science Engineering. Visiting these pages will give you an idea of the infrastructure.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, Gita Autonomous College has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Bhubhaneshwar, Orissa, this institution is in the Nerve Centre of Odisha. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, and is a NAAC “A” accredited college.

With a strong background in Multi Stream Education, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, this institution well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology. This college is a NAAC “A” accredited college.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune, has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Pune, this institution is in the midst of Industrial Ecosystem in India. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this college has a NIRF rank of 96, and you can browse the details of the ranking here >> NIRF Rank of Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune. It is a NAAC A + accredited college.

This institution draws its inspiration from Shri. Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak, Maratha Leader, and National freedom fighter. It is apt that this college is one of front runners in starting this course.

With a strong background in Engineering Education, Priyadarshini College of Engineering has started offering M Tech in Defence Technology in its list of courses.

Located in Nagpur, Maharashtra, a ore surplus region, this institution is near several casting companies which form the base of Defence Manufacturing. The upcoming Dassualt Aerospace Manufacturing unit is located nearby. Well equipped both academically and equipment wise to offer M Tech in Defence Technology, this institute is a NAAC, A + accredited college.

Professor who is coordinating this course can be contacted using details given here: Dr. Subhash Waghmare – 9423423905

M Tech Defence Technology – Where should you get your degree?

Evolving Engineering Education, Growing Defence Industry

Things are changing fast. And, herein lies huge opportunity for budding engineers and entrepreneurs

Engineering Colleges which have taken a Lead