Chandipur to Chitradurga! DRDO's new test range in Karnataka on track; 2nd facility a

[sudhir007]

Tarmak007 -- An Indian Defence blog with a difference: Chandipur to Chitradurga! DRDO's new test range in Karnataka on track; 2nd facility after ITR near Balasore

A new test range for India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is being built in the Chitradurga district of Karnataka state.
Dr. Prahlada, chief of DRDO, tells AVIATION WEEK that a new facility also will be constructed in Hyderabad for DRDO to flight-test aircraft.
The Chitradurga facility will focus on flight tests of unmanned aerial vehicles, air-to-ground weapons, parachutes and electronic warfare systems.
“We are going for the best of systems and facilities, and in the coming years DRDO will have multiple facilities for the testing of its wide range of platforms,” Prahlada said at the Bangalore Defense and Aerospace Journalists’ Forum.
The new Chitradurga test range will cover 4,000 acres and will have a runway. DRDO already has acquired the land.

 

[Novice09]

Here is the article from aviationweek

New DRDO Test Range Being Built In Chitradurga | AVIATION WEEK


BENGALURU, India — A new test range for India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is being built in the Chitradurga district of Karnataka state.

Dr. Prahlada, chief of DRDO, tells AVIATION WEEK that a new facility also will be constructed in Hyderabad for DRDO to flight-test aircraft.

The Chitradurga facility will focus on flight tests of unmanned aerial vehicles, air-to-ground weapons, parachutes and electronic warfare systems.

“We are going for the best of systems and facilities, and in the coming years DRDO will have multiple facilities for the testing of its wide range of platforms,” Prahlada said at the Bangalore Defense and Aerospace Journalists’ Forum.

The new Chitradurga test range will cover 4,000 acres and will have a runway. DRDO already has acquired the land.

“Once operational, the Chitradurga facility will be a vital defense installation in India, and we hope to equip the same in the next three years,” a DRDO source says.

The facility may also have a rail link. DRDO is negotiating with the Karnataka government, and work has already begun.

The Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea, near Balasore in Orissa, is currently DRDO’s workhorse for various missile test flights. In addition, Wheeler Island, off the Orissa coast, is also used by ITR for various missile launches.

A DRDO source says that the face of Chitradurga will change with the new test range. “When the Bidar air force base [in Karnataka] was expanded, one could see the change it brought into the area in terms of development,” the source says. “Similarly, the test range will put Chitradurga on the international map, apart from contributing to the industrial and economic growth in the region.”

Karnataka already has numerous DRDO installations in India, and the Chitradurga facility will further strengthen its presence in South India.