Technology

DRDO GaN MMIC Pushes India Radar and EW Edge

2026-09-14 - ABikram Mondal

DRDO reports fresh GaN breakthrough in latest ministry document

The Ministry of Defence annual report for fiscal 2025-26 records that DRDO has moved indigenous gallium nitride monolithic microwave integrated circuit technology into working systems. The Solid State Physics Laboratory led the effort on silicon carbide wafer growth and device fabrication. A single 3.5 by 3 millimetre GaN chip now reaches 30 watts output while running three hundred times faster than silicon equivalents.

Officials note the components handle signals up to X-band frequencies. Earlier work produced S-band high-electron-mobility transistor power bars, amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers and switches. These parts already support radar, electronic warfare, communications and unmanned platforms.

The report credits four-inch SiC wafer processes developed inside DRDO labs. Those wafers underpin both 150-watt HEMTs and 40-watt MMICs. Production remains at laboratory scale for now, yet the ministry treats the results as a concrete step toward reduced import dependence.

Applications listed include next-generation air defence radars and directed-energy countermeasures against drone swarms. The same technology feeds satellite communications and 5G base stations where high-frequency performance matters.

Specifications versus silicon and imported GaN alternatives

Performance numbers appear directly in the ministry document and related coverage. The comparison below uses those reported figures against silicon baselines and representative commercial GaN devices available on the open market.

Parameter	DRDO GaN MMIC	Silicon equivalent	Commercial GaN (typical X-band)
Chip size	3.5 x 3 mm	Comparable die area	4-6 mm per side
Power output	30 W per chip	Under 1 W typical	20-50 W
Speed advantage	300 times silicon	Baseline	200-400 times silicon
Frequency range	Up to X-band	Lower bands	Up to X-band
HEMT power	150 W demonstrated	Not applicable	100-200 W
MMIC power	40 W	Not applicable	30-60 W

Numbers come from the MoD report and statements carried by ANI. No side-by-side field test data against foreign suppliers appears in the public record yet.

Where the numbers stop short of full picture

The report does not disclose yield rates on the new SiC wafers or the cost per functioning chip. Defence production timelines remain classified, so it is unclear when the first radar or jammer fitted with these MMICs will reach units.

Integration challenges with existing platforms receive no mention. Power supply and cooling demands for higher-power GaN devices often exceed those of legacy silicon parts. The ministry document stays silent on thermal management solutions developed alongside the chips.

Export controls on raw gallium and silicon carbide substrates still affect scale-up. India imports most of these materials, and the report offers no new domestic mining or refining capacity figures.

Who gains first from the advance

Indian Air Force and Army air defence units stand to benefit once the technology moves into series production. Persistent surveillance radars and counter-drone systems rank high on the priority list.

Private sector firms already cleared for DRDO technology transfer can bid on manufacturing contracts. The same GaN processes support satellite payloads, opening a route for ISRO and its commercial partners.

Startups working on electronic warfare payloads or 5G infrastructure receive an indigenous component source that bypasses certain foreign licensing restrictions.

Next steps visible in the same report

The ministry lists ongoing work on higher-power variants and wider bandwidth MMICs. Parallel efforts target packaging that meets military environmental standards.

DRDO laboratories continue SiC wafer diameter increases beyond four inches. Larger wafers cut per-chip costs once volume production begins.

Collaboration with public sector units such as BEL and HAL appears in earlier transfer agreements, though the current report gives no fresh contract values tied to GaN.

Context from surrounding defence electronics push

This GaN milestone sits alongside other indigenisation drives recorded in the same fiscal year. Gallium nitride addresses the high-frequency gap left by older silicon and gallium arsenide parts.

Radar modernisation programmes already specify active electronically scanned arrays. The new chips supply the transmit-receive modules those arrays require.

Electronic warfare suites on platforms such as Tejas and upcoming UAVs gain from the higher power density and efficiency GaN provides over previous generations.

Remaining hurdles before widespread fielding

Reliability data under extreme temperatures and radiation still needs public release or independent verification. Defence systems demand qualification cycles measured in years.

Supply chain security for gallium remains a separate national effort outside this single laboratory success. The report treats the device demonstration as one link in a longer chain.

ABikram Mondal builds web development for exactly this kind of problem at https://abikrammondal.com/services/web-development. The technology itself will not reach operational units without sustained funding and manufacturing discipline.

The short version. DRDO has demonstrated working indigenous GaN MMIC chips that deliver 30 watts in a 3.5 by 3 millimetre package for Indian defence radars and electronic warfare systems.

Sources

Reported from the sources above on 2026-09-14. Figures are as published at the time of writing. If something here has moved on, the linked source is the one to trust.

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