The VISV-2026 defence showcase opens at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi on Friday, with Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth inaugurating the event organised by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS).

VISV stands for Vision, Innovation, Synergy and Values. Written in Hindi as विश्व, the name also reads as vishwa, the word for world.

The theme is Showcasing Defence Capabilities, Strengthening Global Partnerships. According to the Ministry of Defence, the event will bring India's defence establishment, industry, academic institutions and the diplomatic community together on one platform, with a focus on defence research, technology development, production and cooperation with friendly countries.

DRDO sessions to cover missiles, sensors and soldier support systems

DRDO will run technical sessions on its work in aeronautical systems, land and naval systems, sensing and communications, and missile systems.

Microelectronics, computational solutions and soldier support systems are also on the agenda.

Foreign delegations get a direct look at Indian technology

For diplomats and visiting officials, the sessions are meant to set out what Indian laboratories and industry can now design and build, and where partner countries could work with them on technology. The organisation runs a network of laboratories across these fields, and the event puts that range before visiting delegations in one hall.

VISV-2026 defence showcase to host panel on joint development

A panel discussion will take up joint collaboration, capability development and mutually beneficial partnerships between India and partner nations.

The format pairs DRDO's technical presentations with a policy conversation. The guest list runs beyond scientists and industry to the diplomatic community, in line with the event's stated focus on cooperation with friendly countries.

CENJOWS joins DRDO as co-organiser

CENJOWS was raised at the initiative of the Ministry of Defence in August 2007. It works as a think tank on jointness and the integration of the armed forces. It regularly hosts seminars at the Manekshaw Centre, including the DEFSAT and Night Vision and Electro-Optics India events in 2023.

A week of indigenous defence events in the capital

The VISV-2026 defence showcase follows the Navy's Swavlamban 2026 seminar, held in New Delhi on Monday and Tuesday with a focus on emerging technologies and indigenous capability.

Sanjay Seth has been a regular presence at such forums. In September he opened the 43rd Coast Guard Commanders Conference, where he urged the service to move from adopting technology to helping build it.

DRDO's last large industry outreach was the VIMARSH 2026 synergy meet in September, at which nine licensing agreements for transfer of technology were handed to 13 manufacturing partners.