With a modest beginning in 1952 conducting only technical staff course for the officers of Indian Army, the institute has grown manifold over the years. It conducts various post-graduate and specialist courses in armament technology for officers of all the defence services and for scientists from R&D organisations. The growth of the institute in the last 50 years has been truly awesome. Equally praiseworthy has been the contribution made by the institute and its scientists to the development of indigenous technologies. Over twenty thousand officers, Indian and foreign, have been benefited from its training courses.

The genesis of IAT lies in a series of recommendations made by Col HM Patterson who was requested in 1950 to advise the Government of India on setting up of an institution similar to the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham, UK. The colonel stressed the importance of establishing a combined research and training establishment. Thus came up the Institute of Armament Studies (IAS) in 1952. P Johnson was the first Dean of the institute.

Established in the premises of the College of Military Engineering, Dapodi near Pune, the institute under Defence Research and Development Organisation, was inter-services in nature and had officers from the Armed Forces as well as from DRDO. It was modelled on the lines of a university and the staff was normally expected to carry out teaching responsibilities with original research work. The first Technical Staff Officers' Course for Army officers was started next year itself.

In 1964, the revised charter of the institute came into force and the institute's name was changed to Institute of Armanent Technology. From the relatively narrow scope of armament study, the DRDO enlarged the role of the institute. Various short/long-term courses were introduced. In 1967, the institute was shifted to its present picturesque location at Girinagar situated at the southern end of the Khadakvasla Lake. In 2000, the instiutute acquired the status of a deemed university.

The institute has now completed 50 years of its service. To mark this occasion, celebrations were held at the campus in which a large number of service officers, scientists and other dignitaries participated. Inaugurating the golden jubilee celebrations, Prof MGK Menon, former advisor to the Defence Minister urged the scientists community to keep pace with technology. "Technology has always been a part of a sense of security. As science and technology move ahead, we have to keep pace with it. We cannot afford to be left behind", said Prof MGK Menon.

Complimenting the Ministry of Defence for helping the convergence of talents from diverse fields, Prof Menon observed that India has an enormous reservoir of talents at universities, IITs and research institutions. "We should make use of them witout any compartmentalisation", he said.