Technology has always played a huge role in dictating strategies in Modern Warfare. Over the last three decades, there has been a strategic shift towards using unmanned aircraft, also known as drones. Realizing the transition towards electronic warfare, the Indian government has come up with various initiatives to encourage drone manufacturing in the country, which has led to a rapid boost in the country's warfare system manufacturing sector.

Among the leading electronic warfare system manufacturers in the country, one firm that stands out in terms of industry expertise and innovation is Unistring Tech Solutions (UTS). A Hyderabad- based leading Defense R&D organization, UTS started its R&D operation in the subsystem for counter-drone applications way back in 2018. The extensive R&D and various pioneering innovations have helped the firm experience an astounding 400 percent progress.

In an exclusive interview with CIO Insider, Dr. Nagendra Babu Samineni, Managing Director at UTS, sheds light on the overall journey of the firm, the advanced techno-logical solutions offered by the firm, and much more:

Tell us about the growth journey of Unistring Tech Solutions into becoming one of the leaders in defense electronic warfare.

Previously, we used to work on multiple products, including telemetry solutions, communication systems, and so on. However, around 2018, we did some analysis, and instead of focusing on

various domains, we decided to work on state-of-the-art solutions across 2-3 selective domains. We identified 2-3 products, including the subsystem for counter-drone applications, that had the potential to disrupt the market while meeting user expectations. By the end of 2021, we already had the solutions in our hands when the Indian government started realizing the threat of drones and called for tenders.

other. Our extensive R&D over the years will be immensely helpful in upgrading and building these future variants.

How is the team built and how do you foster a culture of innovation to stay ahead of evolving threats?

We have a dedicated in-house R&D team that, apart from innovating new products, is also working on consistently improving and upgrading the existing solutions. As an organization, we provide them ample opportunity and time to experiment, fail, and come out with the best possible solution as it requires at least 2-3 iterations. We give them a lot of free hands to experiment and in case of failures, also encourage them to come out with even better solutions.

Apart from that, we also ensure a consistent learning experience for our employees. We offer training to our junior employees through various training programs across good institutes. While the R&D team works on innovation, another team develops a proper engineering framework to adapt these solutions in parallel. So, by the time the R&D team comes up with an innovation, we also ensure that the engineering support for the solution is ready.

What is the organization’s future roadmap, going forward?

The flagship product that we are currently working on is the counter-drone solution. While we have a solution to the current threats, we also have planned the roadmap for the next five years. There is a requirement for more wideband solutions with a wider RF detection. We also have to be ready to tackle one of the most devastating future threats, swarm attacks, in the next five years.

Apart from that, we are also coming up with various EW payloads that can be mounted on small drones, which will give a lot of advantages to surveillance at the borders. Lastly, multiple radar programs are coming up both in India and abroad. We are actively working on those programs, which have a huge potential in the next four to five years.