Sahil Luthra and the Rise of Private Testing Infrastructure in India’s Defence Ecosystem

Private Defence Testing Infrastructure: Fast-Tracking India’s Strategic Readiness

For decades, India’s defence sector has faced a paradox: world-class ambitions shackled by third-party testing bottlenecks. The lack of dedicated private defence testing infrastructure in India has delayed not just innovation—but deployment.

Sahil Luthra’s work through VTDS directly addresses this critical gap.He is building certified, private-sector testing labs that accelerate defence readiness, reduce operational risk, and make India less dependent on foreign certification systems.

Why India Needs Private Defence Testing Infrastructure

India’s traditional model relies heavily on DRDO and MoD labs for testing and certification. But these government facilities are:

• Overbooked with legacy projects

• Geographically sparse

• Not optimised for dual-use civilian applications

Sahil Luthra recognised this choke point early in VTDS’s formation. His answer: develop private defence testing infrastructure that plugs into defence corridors and supports both military and civilian tech R&D.

Inside VTDS’s Defence Testing Labs

Currently operational at the Jhansi and Kanpur nodes, the VTDS labs are built to handle:

• Ballistic durability testing (weapons, vests, armoured materials)

• Communication & signal integrity testing (ISR tools, IoT-based systems)

• Environmental stress testing (climate-adaptive weaponry)

• Threat simulation via AI-enabled field modelling

Each lab is:

• NABL certified

• BIS & DPEPP compliant

• Calibrated for NATO-level interoperability

This is private defence testing infrastructure built for both speed and global relevance.

Sahil’s Speed Model: Reducing Certification Time by 60%

Before VTDS, Indian defence startups faced 18–30 month wait times for testing. Today, thanks to this private infrastructure, that window has shrunk to just 8–12 months.

Sahil’s framework includes:

• Standardised test templates

• Digital application + delivery system

• Embedded DRDO consultants during R&D

This integration ensures safety and compliance without slowing down innovation.

Going Global: India as a Regional Testing Powerhouse

VTDS’s private defence testing infrastructure isn’t limited to domestic use. The labs are already in talks with:

• UAE-based arms manufacturers

• Southeast Asian UAV startups

• African logistics and peacekeeping units

This supports India’s Defence Export Strategy—and turns testing into a service, not just a barrier.

Empowering MSMEs with Fast, Affordable Testing

For smaller startups, time delays equal business risk. VTDS helps mitigate this by offering:

• Subsidised access to private testing labs

• On-site prototyping integration

• A centralised grant application desk

It’s more than infrastructure—it’s an incubator for fast-fail, fast-scale defence innovation.

Data Security and Sovereign Control

In modern warfare, data leakage is a serious threat. VTDS’s infrastructure provides:

• Full encryption across test data

• Air-gapped zones for high-sensitivity equipment

• Legal IP support and compliance documentation

This ensures that India maintains full control over its emerging defence technologies.

Enabling Public-Private Synergy

Sahil Luthra’s private defence testing infrastructure is built in coordination with:

• DRDO field units

• DPIIT’s Startup India defence innovation cell

• State-led industrial corridor authorities

He is also designing a centralised testing exchange to allow private and public labs to share data, capacity, and standardisation frameworks.

Conclusion

You can’t deploy what you can’t certify—and that’s been a bottleneck in India’s defence story. Sahil Luthra is changing that by building private defence testing infrastructure that is fast, secure, and globally aligned.

Through VTDS, he’s not just supporting Make in India—he’s future-proofing it.This is infrastructure that doesn’t wait for policy to catch up. It leads.