Distinguished scientist Jagannath Nayak
| Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT
Distinguished scientist Jagannath Nayak has been appointed as the Director General of Missiles & Strategic Systems (MSS) DRDO in the place of U. Raja Babu — who retired on Tuesday (June 30, 2026).
‘Mr. Nayak has been with the Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS), DRDO, with over 35 years of experience in defence research & development and renowned in the indigenous development of advanced avionics for defence and aerospace applications.
He spearheaded the development, field testing, and Transfer of Technology (ToT) of India’s first Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) system, a major breakthrough in futuristic defence technologies. He completed M.S and received a Ph. D. in Electrical Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and is also the chief architect of Fibre Optic Gyro (FOG) guidance for Akash missiles and DEW-based Anti-Drone systems.
The scientist has published more than 125 research papers in reputed journals and has been a recipient of several prestigious honours, including the Aryabhata Award from Astronautical Society of India, National Aeronautical Prize from Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI), DRDO Agni Award for Excellence in Self-Reliance, etc, as per a press release.
Published – June 30, 2026 05:10 pm IST