New Delhi: In a significant leadership change at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Dr Jagannath Nayak, a Distinguished Scientist (DS) and Director of the Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS), Hyderabad, has been appointed as the Director General of Missiles & Strategic Systems (DGMSS) with effect from July 1, 2026.
Dr Nayak will succeed U Raja Babu, who is retiring on attaining superannuation. The appointment places one of India’s foremost defence technology experts at the helm of DRDO’s missile and strategic systems programme at a time when the country is accelerating indigenous development of next-generation defence technologies.
With more than 35 years of experience in defence research and development, Dr Nayak has played a pivotal role in advancing India’s capabilities in missile guidance systems, directed energy weapons, inertial navigation, electro-optics and indigenous aerospace technologies.
Appointment Marks Leadership Transition in DRDO
The appointment comes as part of DRDO’s leadership transition following the retirement of U Raja Babu.
As Director General of Missiles & Strategic Systems, Dr Nayak will oversee one of DRDO’s most critical technology clusters responsible for the development of strategic missile systems, advanced weapon technologies and futuristic defence platforms.
His elevation reflects DRDO’s continued emphasis on indigenous research, technological self-reliance and next-generation warfare capabilities.
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Over Three Decades of Defence R&D Experience
Dr Jagannath Nayak has devoted over 35 years to Defence Research & Development, emerging as one of India’s leading scientists in advanced avionics, missile guidance and strategic defence technologies.
His research spans multiple high-end domains, including:
- Defence avionics
- Aerospace electronics
- Fibre optics
- Electro-optics
- Sensor signal processing
- Integrated optics
- Micro-opto-electro-mechanical systems (MOEMS)
- Inertial navigation systems
- Missile guidance and control systems
His contributions have significantly strengthened India’s indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem.
Led Development of India’s First Directed Energy Weapon
Among Dr Nayak’s most notable achievements is his leadership as Director of CHESS (Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences), where he spearheaded the development of India’s first indigenous Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) system.
Under his leadership, the CHESS team successfully completed:
- Indigenous design and development
- Extensive field trials
- Technology validation
- Transfer of Technology (ToT)
The Directed Energy Weapon programme is regarded as one of India’s biggest breakthroughs in futuristic warfare technologies and forms an important component of India’s anti-drone and next-generation battlefield capabilities.
Chief Architect of Fibre Optic Gyroscope Technology
Before leading CHESS, Dr Nayak served as Project Director at Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, where he led the indigenous development of Fibre Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technology.
The programme proved to be a landmark achievement for India’s strategic defence ecosystem.
His work enabled India to become self-reliant in this highly sophisticated technology, which today forms the backbone of navigation and guidance systems deployed across:
- Akash surface-to-air missile systems
- Various indigenous missile programmes
- Military aircraft
- Main Battle Tanks
- Advanced defence platforms
The indigenous FOG programme significantly reduced India’s dependence on imported navigation technologies.
Key Role in Akash Missile and Anti-Drone Systems
Dr Nayak is widely recognised as one of the principal architects behind the Fibre Optic Gyroscope-based guidance system for the Akash missile programme.
He also played a leading role in developing Directed Energy Weapon-based Anti-Drone Systems, an area that has gained tremendous strategic importance amid the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
His work has contributed substantially to India’s efforts to build indigenous solutions for counter-drone warfare and future air defence systems.
Academic Background
Dr Nayak possesses an outstanding academic record.
He earned:
- Master of Science (MS) in Electrical Communication Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Electrical Communication Engineering
from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, one of India’s premier research institutions.
Apart from his scientific contributions, he has also mentored the next generation of researchers by successfully guiding more than 10 PhD scholars.
Professional Recognition and Fellowships
Dr Nayak’s scientific contributions have earned him recognition from several prestigious professional institutions.
He is a Fellow of:
- Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE)
- Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE)
- Optical Society of India (OSI)
These fellowships acknowledge his exceptional contributions to defence electronics, optics and aerospace engineering.
Awards and Honours
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr Nayak has received several prestigious awards, including:
- Agni Excellence Award for Self-Reliance for pioneering indigenous defence technologies.
- Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award for outstanding technological innovation.
- Aeronautical Society of India Swarna Jayanti Award for excellence in aerospace and defence systems engineering.
These honours reflect his long-standing contribution to strengthening India’s indigenous defence research capabilities.
A Career Dedicated to Indigenous Defence Technologies
Dr Jagannath Nayak’s professional journey has been defined by scientific innovation, technological leadership and a strong commitment to the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in defence.
From leading the indigenous Fibre Optic Gyroscope programme to developing India’s first Directed Energy Weapon system, his work has consistently focused on reducing India’s dependence on imported critical technologies.
His appointment as Director General, Missiles & Strategic Systems, is expected to further accelerate DRDO’s efforts in developing advanced missile technologies, strategic weapon systems, anti-drone solutions and next-generation defence capabilities.
With India’s defence modernisation gathering pace, Dr Nayak’s leadership is likely to play a crucial role in shaping the country’s future missile and strategic systems programmes.
