Archive · 18 Aug 2026
DRDO, UPTTI to Develop GPS-Enabled Smart Uniforms for Indian Soldiers
Scientists in Kanpur, India are working together to make special uniforms for soldiers.
These uniforms will have tiny electronic parts and GPS inside them.
GPS is like a map that can find where you are.
If a soldier gets lost in snow or an avalanche, the uniform can help rescuers find them.
This is very important because mountains and snowstorms can be dangerous.
Two groups are working together: a defence research lab and a textile institute.
The textile institute knows how to make clothes, and the research lab knows about defence materials.
They will work together for five years to make better fabrics.
The new fabrics will be lighter, stronger and more advanced.
This helps keep soldiers safe and supports India making its own technology.
DRDO's DMSRDE lab in Kanpur and UPTTI are collaborating to develop smart uniforms for Indian soldiers.
The uniforms will feature GPS-based technology and electronic circuits to locate soldiers during emergencies like avalanches and snowstorms.
A five-year agreement between the institutions will support research into specialised fabrics, protective clothing and smart textile technologies.
DMSRDE previously developed a 9-kg bulletproof jacket in 2021 that met Indian Army requirements and BIS standards.
The project focuses on indigenous technology and supports the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision while strengthening Kanpur as a defence innovation hub.
- Who
- DRDO's Defence Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment (DMSRDE) and the Uttar Pradesh Textile Technology Institute (UPTTI)
- What
- Collaborating to develop GPS-enabled smart uniforms for Indian soldiers deployed in extreme terrains
- When
- Not specified in the articles; a five-year agreement between the institutions is planned
- Where
- Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Why
- To help identify a soldier's location during emergencies such as avalanches and snowstorms, improving rescue operations and coordination between soldiers and security agencies
- Collaboration
- DMSRDE (DRDO Kanpur) and UPTTI
- Technology
- GPS-enabled smart uniforms with electronic circuits
- Purpose
- Locating soldiers during avalanches and snowstorms
- Agreement Duration
- Five years
- Research Focus
- Indigenous defence textiles, protective clothing and smart textile technologies
- Previous Achievement
- 9-kg bulletproof jacket developed in 2021 meeting Indian Army and BIS standards
- Location
- Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
- National Vision
- Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India)