IIT Ropar awards its first MTech in defence technology to 59 officers at Ahilyanagar

Ahilyanagar: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar in Punjab presented MTech degrees in defence technology to 59 officers at the Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACC&S) in Ahilyanagar on Friday, October 9. They are the first batch of the institute's first postgraduate programme built around military applications. IIT Ropar director Rajeev Ahuja handed over the degrees at the ACC&S.

IIT Ropar and the ACC&S designed the programme together. It concentrates on defence uses, applied research and technology-based solutions, with the aim of helping the armed forces modernise and move to indigenous equipment. No IIT had earlier offered an advanced postgraduate degree designed specifically for military use.

'Today, classroom knowledge meets the battlefield,' Ahuja said, adding that the officers would help the country develop defence technologies of its own.

The course stresses hands-on application, research and problem-solving, and ties academic training to the army's needs. The graduates are expected to lead technology upgrades in armoured formations and to help indigenise defence manufacturing.

An agreement between the two institutions also sets up a framework for joint research and development covering armoured vehicle technologies, advanced armaments and new materials. The initiative is meant to further self-reliance in defence and the Viksit Bharat 2047 goals.

Source: Hindustan Times