This establishment has its humble beginning as a "Field Laboratory", a small research cell of the then DRL (M), Kanpur on 21 November 1962, just after the Chinese aggression in October 1962. The initial charter of the laboratory was to provide storage/ outdoor exposure trials for materials developed for armed forces under the prevailing hot and humid climate of North-Eastern India. Subsequently, the laboratory research and development activities gained momentum with independent assignments for the benefit of troops deployed in this strategically important region. In October 1980, this field laboratory became a full-fledged R&D laboratory and was renamed as Defence Research Laboratory (DRL), Tezpur.