RAS question
FermionIC and Tata Electronics delivered India's first indigenous X-Band Beamformer IC in September 2025. Under which mission was this achieved?
Correct answer: (A) India Semiconductor Mission.
FermionIC and Tata Electronics delivered India's first indigenous X-Band Beamformer IC under the India Semiconductor Mission.
Explanation
The achievement falls under the India Semiconductor Mission, the umbrella for FermionIC and Tata Electronics' delivery of India's first indigenous X-Band Beamformer IC. FermionIC Design announced a partnership with Tata Electronics for wafer-level testing, packaging and post-silicon validation of its indigenously designed, fully owned 4-Channel X-Band Beamformer IC. The chip was developed for next-generation TDD phased array antennas and helps compact, high-performance phased array radar systems. That is why India Semiconductor Mission, not a generic electronics or defence label, is the answer.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Make in India Advanced Electronics Initiative is not the mission associated with the beamformer IC milestone, which falls under the India Semiconductor Mission.
- (C) Digital India Chip Fabrication Program does not match this milestone, and the Design Linked Incentive Scheme, India Semiconductor Mission page refers to semiconductor-design support rather than this programme name.
- (D) DRDO Advanced Materials and Electronics Mission is not supported here; the achievement is framed around FermionIC, Tata Electronics and India's semiconductor ecosystem rather than a DRDO mission.
Concept
This tests the Science and Technology syllabus link between semiconductor policy and strategic electronics. RAS often asks such questions because indigenous chip design, packaging and radar applications sit at the intersection of industrial policy and national capability.