DRDO Picks SSS Defence and Kalyani to Build India's First Home-Grown 20mm Gun for Rudra and Prachand Helicopters

India's two attack helicopters, the HAL Rudra and the Light Combat Helicopter Prachand, are designed and built at home. The gun under their nose is not. Both carry a French-designed THL-20 turret fitted with a European M621 20mm cannon. That gap is now being targeted directly: the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has shortlisted two private companies, SSS Defence and the Kalyani Group, to co-develop and then manufacture an indigenous 20mm aviation gun and turret system.

What was announced

According to reports published on 19–20 October 2026, first by ThePrint and then by several defence outlets, the two firms emerged from a competitive bidding process as Development-cum-Production Partners (DcPP) for the project. The work is led by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), DRDO's Pune laboratory for guns and armament.

The DcPP model differs from the older approach, in which a DRDO lab designed a weapon and later handed the drawings to a production agency. Under DcPP, industry partners are involved from the start. They co-develop the system, build the prototypes, and are positioned to manufacture it once trials are done. For this project, reports say:

• The design and development phase is expected to take about two years.
• After development, qualification and user acceptance trials, production orders will be split between the two partners. The lowest bidder (L1) gets 60% and the second partner gets 40%.
• The target platforms are HAL's ALH Mk-IV Rudra and the LCH Prachand.

The programme builds on a memorandum of understanding that ARDE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed in 2025 to indigenise critical helicopter weapon systems.

Why the gun matters

A helicopter's turret gun is a complex subsystem. The cannon has to fire reliably while the airframe vibrates and manoeuvres. The turret has to slew quickly and stay aligned with the pilot's helmet sight or the gunner's targeting system. The ammunition feed has to work across a wide range of temperatures and altitudes. That last point matters especially for the Prachand, which was designed for high-altitude operations along India's northern borders.

India has spent two decades building indigenous helicopter airframes. The Dhruv advanced light helicopter led to the armed Rudra, and the Dhruv's dynamic systems in turn fed the Prachand, which entered Indian Air Force service in October 2022. Much of the weapons package is still imported, though. Every import has a cost beyond the purchase price: spares and ammunition come from a foreign supply chain, any upgrade needs the original manufacturer's approval, and in a crisis, supply can be delayed or restricted.

These fleets will be flying for decades, so a domestic gun has a long life ahead of it. India has ordered 156 Prachand helicopters for the Army and the Air Force, in addition to the Rudras already in service.

Who the partners are

SSS Defence is a Bengaluru-based small-arms and ammunition maker that has built a portfolio of indigenous rifles and calibres in recent years. The Kalyani Group, through Bharat Forge and Kalyani Strategic Systems, is one of India's largest private artillery and armament manufacturers and is already working with DRDO on gun programmes such as the 155mm mounted gun system.

Picking two partners and splitting production 60:40 is meant to keep competition alive and give the services a second source. That matters for a gun that, if it succeeds, could also be offered for other platforms.

What happens next

The two-year development clock is ambitious for a complete gun-and-turret system. The partners will have to:

1. Finalise the design of the cannon, the turret and the feed system with ARDE.
2. Integrate the turret with the helicopters' targeting and helmet-mounted sighting systems, working with HAL.
3. Pass ground firing, air firing and environmental qualification, followed by user trials with the Army and Air Force.

None of this replaces the THL-20 turrets already fitted or on order. The indigenous system would come in as new production and as a retrofit option once it is qualified.

Why it matters beyond the helicopters

For India's defence-industrial base, the significance goes beyond one gun. Medium-calibre aviation guns are a niche that only a few countries supply. Building one at home would give India a sovereign source for a weapon used on helicopters, light aircraft and possibly unmanned platforms. It would also give private manufacturers like SSS Defence and Kalyani a programme they share in from the design stage, which DRDO has increasingly favoured as it tries to move technology to industry faster.

If the project stays on schedule, Indian-made guns could be under the noses of Rudras and Prachands before the end of the decade, closing one of the last visible import gaps on India's indigenous attack helicopters.

Sources

• ThePrint: https://theprint.in/defence/drdo-shortlists-sss-defence-kalyani-group-to-develop-indigenous-aviation-gun-for-rudra-lch-helicopters/3075974/
• Raksha Anirveda: https://raksha-anirveda.com/drdo-shortlists-sss-defence-and-kalyani-group-for-indigenous-20mm-helicopter-gun/
• IDRW: https://idrw.org/indigenous-20mm-helicopter-gun-rudra-lch/
• WION: https://www.wionews.com/defence-pulse/india-to-develop-first-indigenous-aviation-gun-for-prachand-rudra-attack-helicopters-sss-defence-ceo-confirms-1792561843943
• Indian Defence News: https://www.indiandefensenews.in/2026/10/drdo-shortlists-sss-defence-and-kalyani.html
• GKToday: https://www.gktoday.in/drdo-shortlists-kalyani-sss-defence-for-indigenous-20mm-gun/
• Wikipedia, HAL Rudra: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAL_Rudra
• Wikipedia, HAL Prachand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAL_Prachand