NEW DELHI: With defence startups often unable to move beyond the trial stage, the Indian Army has proposed a Rs 250 crore annual Field Exploitation and Capability Acceleration (FECA) fund per Service Headquarters, which is under consideration with the defence ministry. The proposal, first outlined in February by Army Design Bureau Additional Director General Maj Gen CS Mann, has now been fleshed out. It aims to create a structured system to test and evaluate new technologies in real conditions, backed by small initial orders to assess performance. The challenge faced by start-ups is most evident in No Cost No Commitment (NCNC) demonstrations, where startups pitch their systems with operational potential. The Army has procured equipment worth around Rs 5,000 crore through this route, with several of these systems proving useful in field exploitation and emergency procurement cases.

Source: Indian Express April 05, 2026 16:52 UTC