Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

[RPK]

Early detection of radioactive exposure being researched: DRDO experts

Early detection of radioactive exposure being researched: DRDO experts

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is carrying out research for early biomarker signature for dose assessment and decision making during casualty caused by radioactive exposure. This would address the increasing danger of radioactive exposure and its detection not only at the time of civilian but as well as military casualties.


Toxic radiological material has both short term and long term health effects on living organisms. On an urgent response to any radiation emergency, the identification and evaluation of early biomarker is an important and decision making step. Biomarkers had been used by epidemiologists, physiologists and pathologists as the gold standard to study and treat the human diseases. However, less attention has been paid on discovery and validation of radiation responsive biomarker can be used for triage for occupational worker, civilian population and emergency responder.


This was shared by Dr Rakesh Sharma, Scientist G and Additional Director, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) who was in the Panjab University to present his research at the ongoing national conference on Biotechnology ‘Biotechnica Chandigarh-2010’ on Thursday. Dr Sharma who has seven patents and 230 publications to his credit has decades of technomanegerial and scientific experience. He has also carried out the preliminary studies on the Mayapuri incident where use of radioactive sources was suspended in Delhi University after an exposure to radioactive material Cobalt-60 in the scrap market of Mayapuri led to death of one person and injuries to ten others in April this year.


He further added that the effects of radiations that denote cellular, chemical, bio-chemical or molecular alterations, that can be measured at different levels of organisation of living organism like bio fluids (blood, urine, etc, cell and tissues, etc). Recently this process has been elaborated and response of pathogenesis, pharmacology, progression, regression and final outcome of the toxicants has been evaluated.


Biotechnica at PU


A series of plenary lecture delivered by the eminent scientists marked the second day of Biotechnica Chandigarh-2010 conference at Panjab University on Wednesday.


Dr Rajiv Bhat from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi threw light on the issues and challenges on protein stability, folding and diseases in the era of proteomics and DNA technology. Prof Paramvir Singh Ahuja, Director, IHBT, Palampur delivered a lecture on the salient achievements made by IHBT in the field of biotechnology. He emphasized on the commercialization of production of steviol glycosides from Stevia rebaudiana as the key achievement of the year in his talk. Professor Deepak Pental, ex vice-chancellor, University of Delhi, elaborated upon the relevance of crop breeding in India and enlightened the delegate’s with his rich experience in this field. Dr Sita Ram Kumar Magadi, Vice-President, Panacea Biotec Limited highlighted the miraculous role of antibiotics in the field of medicine.

 

[rajgoynar]

Huge business potential seen in aviation sector





There is huge business opportunity in aircraft maintenance, repair and over haul (MRO) facilities, according to Dr V.K. Saraswat, Director-General Defence Research and Development Organisaton (DRDO).

Speaking at the inaugural session of Aviation Conclave 2010 here on Monday, Dr Saraswat said there was also scope for collaborations with the leading MROs of the world.

“The growing number of aircraft and the upgradation of airports to the standards of hubs have presented an opportunity to establish MRO facilities in India,” he said.

As aviation is a capital-intensive sector, private-public partnership models should be pursued for development of infrastructure, he said.

The military aviation, aviation security and unmanned vehicles (UAVs) were emerging areas with potential for growth, he said.

Challenges

On the challenges, he said skill development was a major issue for the industry.

Mr E.S.L. Narasimhan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, said Hyderabad was emerging as hub for the aviation industry.

Asking the industry to invest in the State, he said the State was aiming at repeating the growth it had achieved in IT and pharma sectors in the aviation industry.

In a veiled reference to concerns about Telangana issue, he said. “Don't worry about what happens after December 31 (when Srikrishna panel is supposed to submit its report on demand for a separate Telangana State). January 1 will come after December 31,'' he quipped.

Rural development

Dr R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India, said there was a need to focus on rural development through technology.

Over 1,000 scientists and industry representatives from across the world are participating in the three-day conference.



The Hindu Business Line : Huge business potential seen in aviation sector

 

[RPK]

BEL expects Rs700 cr order for coastal surveillance

BEL expects Rs700 cr order for coastal surveillance

Bangalore-based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), the public sector defence behemoth, expects to secure contract for the first phase of the coastal surveillance system for Rs700-800 crore from the Coast Guard by next month, a top company official said.

“We are going ahead with the initiative, which we have taken on our own using internal funds, because this is very very crucial project for the country’s security,” Ashwani Kumar Datt, chairman and managing director, BEL said.

Talking to reporters here on the sidelines of CII’s National Quality Summit 2010, he said the company would be making a capital expenditure of Rs250-300 crore by end of the current fiscal on the project.

“Our order book position is good and it is at about Rs11,700 crore presently,” Datt said.

“We have done some preliminary work on instrumentation of power plants. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) is yet to finalise the power plants with so many foreign players. When the contracts get signed, we should be doing some portion of nuclear power instrumentation. This is a new area with lot of things the company has to demonstrate beyond doubt of the reasons of safety. We have put some people there. It will take time but we are ready,” he said.

Datt said, as far as homeland security is concerned, the company was ready to do work at the higher end. The company was executing orders in the Supreme Court, Parliament, Reserve Bank of India and the Cabinet Secretariat among others. “We are also trying to do some research and development on making certain products and software, which basically will enable the country to have much more value addition to homeland security,” he said.

He said the BEL board recently cleared certain research and development projects. “We are trying to do technology development on certain modules for radars —both ground-based and airborne. We are trying to develop electronic warfare systems for certain specific additional abilities,” he added.

In the next few months, BEL will deliver what it has promised to its customers, the defence forces. The next order for Akash Missile System, order for Shilka, the main battle tank, which is a new initiative are expected. The company is also trying to complete the last trials for weapon locating radar and pick up an order for that, he said.

BEL expects to secure orders for Akash Missile System from the Indian Air Force (IAF) for additional six squadrons valued at Rs3,500 crore by March 2011, he said. The deliveries would be done by December 2011 for the first order and after that the company would begin work on the second order, which will be completed over a period of 36 months, Datt added.

Most exciting job over the remaining months of the current fiscal would be to achieve the stated target of Rs5,500 crore sales this year and also hopefully pick up another Rs5,000 crore worth of orders, he said.

 

[RPK]

DRDO Establishing Four New Facilities | AVIATION WEEK

HYDERABAD – India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) plans to establish four new state-of-the-art facilities in and near Hyderabad.

DRDO chief, V.K. Saraswat, told Aviation Week during the Aviation Conclave 2010 here that the facilities will further Hyderbad’s mission to become an Indian aerospace hub. DRDO will provide more than Rs 1,000 crore ($220.1 million) for all the projects over the next five years, Saraswat says.

A facility called O-Range (open range) will be set up in Dundigal outside Hyderabad. It will measure the radio frequency and radar cross-section of small, medium and large missiles, as well as aircraft and electronic warfare systems. All the equipment is in place for this facility, which will become operational in 2011.

A hypersonic wind tunnel will be established at Hyderabad’s Missile Complex. The facility will be provided with Rs 300-400 crore to test various parameters of the Hypersonic Technology Development Vehicle (HSTDV), including engine performance.

“It is pivotal to test the [HSTDV] in the range of up to Mach 12. This will be a unique installation in India,” Saraswat says.

The remaining two installations in Hyderabad will be a material characterization facility to test the strength and features of high-temperature materials, and a production facility that will focus on systems and subsystems.

Avinash Chander, director of DRDO’s Advanced Systems Laboratory, says DRDO is committed to helping India’s multi-pronged missile programs meet ever-increasing challenges and demands.

“We are holding hands with industry to make these facilities world class,” Avinash says.

 

[RPK]

DRDO to train doctors to handle victims of chemical, nuclear strikes

In the wake of chemical and nuclear threats, the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is strengthening its chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence by extending training programmes to private and government institutes, health organisations and paramilitary forces. This would also include health institutes such as PGIMER where doctors and nurses are to be provided similar training in order to prepare them on how to deal with CBRN casualties.


Talking about the gravity of CBRN threats and the ignorance among sections of military and para-military forces as well as the public, Dr Rakesh Sharma, Scientist ‘G’, Additional Director and Head, Division of CBRN Defence, INMAS said, “Today, more than the CBRN threat from other countries, it is the threat of proliferation of such highly devastating agents into the hands of terrorist organisations across the globe. Also, there could be incidents where the disaster is a natural one, as was the recent case of Delhi University Cobalt-60 disaster. In contrast to the high intensity of threats, the awareness is very low among professionals and public. Keeping this in mind, for the first time INMAS would have a CBRN training institute where paramilitary, employees at government orgainsations, health institutes and civilians would be trained to prepare them for any CBRN mass casualty.”



Keeping the importance of hospitals and health research institutes in mind, INMAS had already published a 250-page book on medical management on CBRN casualties and distributed in hospitals including PGIMER. “We have already trained a section of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals on how to treat a patient exposed to radioactive agent prior to the Commonwealth Games at Delhi. Talking about the health institute-PGIMER-which caters to patients from various states including Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, etc, it is pertinent to train doctors and nurses for such casualties. Thus, it would also be roped into these training programmes,” stated Dr Sharma.


The training will be premised on the existing defence technique of NBC currently being used in military. This would be modified as per the requirements of the civil sector. For instance, the technology used in military tanks to counter NBC attacks would be modified and simplified for the use of personal vehicles. At present, 62 NBC defence tools are produced by DRDO and already inducted in defence which would be modified for the civil use and accordingly provided training on how to use them.


Dr Sharma further added, “The training is a four step programme where the most important element is protection-of both individual and collective, second is detection followed by decontamination and medical counter measures.”

 

[Ammyy]

 

[RPK]

Pune Based DRDO Lab Makes Most Powerful Conventional Explosive

PIB Press Release

Move over RDX! That’s passé for the needs of the Indian Armed Forces. The DRDO is developing a powerful explosive, - the CL-20, that can substantially reduce the weight and size of the warhead while packing much more punch. In fact, the RDX is not the standard explosive in use with the Indian Armed Forces; the warheads are mostly packed with HMX, FOX-7 or amorphous Boron.

Scientists at the Pune-based High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) have already synthesized adequate quantity of CL-20 in the laboratory. “It is the most powerful non-nuclear explosive yet known to man,” says Dr. AK Sikder, Joint Director, HEMRL, who heads the High Energy Materials Division. The compound, ‘Indian CL-20’ or ICL-20, was indigenously synthesized in the HEMRL laboratory using inverse technology, he added. “The HEMRL has taken India to an elite club of countries with advanced capabilities in the field of Energetic Materials,” said Shri Manish Bhardwaj, a senior Scientist with the HEMRL. In fact, the CL-20 is such a fascination for the HEMRL that a larger-than-life size model of the compound occupies the pride of place as one enters the portals of the main building of the DRDO's premier lab in Pune.

CL-20, so named after the China Lake facility of the Naval Air Weapons Station in California, US, was first synthesized by Dr. Arnold Nielson in 1987. CL-20, or Octa-Nitro-Cubane, is a Nitramine class of explosive 15 times as powerful as HMX, His/Her Majesty Explosive or High Melting Explosive or Octogen. The HMX itself is more than four times as potent as the Research Developed Explosive or Royal Demolition Explosive or Cyclonite or Hexogen, commonly known as RDX.

“CL-20 offers the only option within the next 10-15 years to meet the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces for Futuristic Weapons,” said Dr. Sikder. “CL-20 -based Shaped Charges significantly improve the penetration over armours,” he said, adding that it could be used in the bomb for the 120-mm main gun mounted on the MBT-Arjun. “But the costs of mass production of ICL-20 are still prohibitive,” said Dr. Sikder. Compared to Rs.750 per kilogram it takes to produce RDX in the factory today, the HMX is worth about Rs.6,000 per kg while a kilogram of CL-20 costs a whopping Rs.70,000 per kg.

“We have a tie up with industry partner for intermediate commercial exploitation of ICL-20,” said Dr. A. Subhananda Rao, Director, HEMRL. About 100 kgs of ICL-20 has been produced by HEMRL in collaboration with the Premier Explosives Limited (PEL). The CL-20, which looks like limestone or grainy talcum powder, is being manufactured by the PEL factory at Peddakanlukur village in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh. The Rs.60 crores Hyderabad-based company bagged the DRDO’s Defence Technology Absorption Award, 2007 worth Rs.Ten Lakhs, presented by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on May 12, 2008, their most prestigious award, claimed company sources.

“The advantage with the CL-20 is its Reduced Sensitivity,” said Dr. Sikder, enabling easy handling and transportation of the lethal weaponry. In fact, the HEMRL is concentrating on the Reduced Shock Sensitivity (RSS) explosives, such as RSS-RDX, which costs about Rs.1,500-2,000 per kg, and RSS-HMX. “There is a whole array of low sensitivity material or Insensitive Munitions we are working on,” said Dr. Rao. “The world around there is a lot of R&D being pumped into what are called the Green Explosives, as also the advanced Insensitive Munitions (IM) and RSS explosives,” added Dr. Sikder, which reduces the chances of mishap and loss to M4, - Men, Money, Materials and Machines.

 

[RPK]

Push for artillery modernisation, OFB proposes Bofors upgrade

Tehelka - India's Independent Weekly News Magazine


The Indian Army's artillery modernisation programme got a push forward as the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has proposed to indigenously upgrade the 155 mm FH 77B Bofors gun purchased 24 years ago.

The Bofors artillery guns, which helped India in the Kargil conflict of 2000, have been awaiting the upgradation for over 10 years now. Since 1995 the army has been planning to upgrade the 410 guns, purchased in 1986 from the now-defunct Swedish firm AB Bofors. The upgraded versions will have a better range.

"The government has received a proposal from the OFB to undertake upgradation of the 155mm Bofors guns… OFB submitted a bid, which is under evaluation at the Ministry of Defence," said Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

In 2008, the Defence Ministry had invited proposals for the upgradation of the FH 77B guns from 39 calibre to 45 calibre. However the upgrade was delayed after being hit by a string of corruption scandals. Almost a year after its purchase, Bofors ran into what is now considered a historic controversy with alleged involvement of middlemen. Since then, the company has been blacklisted, and the deal looked at with suspicion.

"The blacklisting has delayed the upgradation as the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) Bofors (now owned by British BAE Systems) could not be asked for the the same," said an Indian Army official, requesting anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

The Indian Army's artillery modernisation programme has repeatedly been mired in controversies with gun majors coming under the scanner for corruption.

In 2009, Singapore Technologies Kinetics was selected for field trials of ultra-light howitzers after 10 months of evaluation, which would help the army counter the Chinese threat in the mountainous Himalayan region. However, the firm was blacklisted after its name figured in a corruption case investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Following the scam, the government cancelled the trials in the Rs 2,900 crore order for 140 ultra-light howitzers. The army is now purchasing the guns from the US through direct sales.

The Singaporean firm was also a contender for the Rs 8,000 crore order for 400 units of the 155 mm/52-calibre towed artillery guns, as well as the indigenous manufacture of another 1,100 howitzers through transfer of technology. However, by 2004, after multiple firing trials, India's towed artillery competition managed to end up without any competitors left standing. All three platforms -- Bofors FH-77 B05, Soltam TIG 2002 and Denel G5/2000 -- failed to meet India's accuracy specifications for the 2003 trials, but all three improved their guns to compete again in 2004. Reports say that Soltam fell out of the race after its barrel burst during field trials, while South Africa's Denel was sidelined in 2004 and then eliminated in 2005, after the Indian government accused the manufacturer of corruption in another defence deal.

 

[RPK]

Development of Green Toilets on Trains

PIB Press Release

Efforts are on in several directions for development of Environment Friendly Toilets in trains. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by Ministry with Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)for Joint Technology development using Defence Research & Development Establishment (DRDE) bio-digester technology for passenger coach toilet systems. Designs have been developed jointly by RESO & DRDO based on this technology and Indian Railways Production Units have been instructed to manufacture two rakes based on this technology. Zero Discharge Toilet System (ZDTS) has been developed jointly by Research Design & Standards Organization (RDSO) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur. Efforts are also in hand to carry out trials of vacuum retention type toilets on Shatabdi Trains.

ZDTS has been tried out on one coach based on design jointly developed by RDSO, Lucknow and IIT, Kanpur. The action is in hand by RDSO to carry out extended trials o one rake based on this technology.

Suitable technology option for Indian Railways operating conditions are yet to be established for which Railway is working on various technology options as described above. Further course of action regarding adoption of suitable technology mix for all trains will be taken, based on the outcome of trials with different technology options.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways, Shri K.H. Muniyappa in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

 

[RPK]

‘Imports depend on U.S. procedures'


INTERVIEW

‘Imports depend on U.S. procedures'

T.S. SUBRAMANIAN


Interview with V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and Director-General, DRDO.





V.V.KRISHNAN

Vijay Kumar Saraswat. He is the architect of India's Ballistic Missile Development Programme.

IN the context of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) being taken off the Entities List in the United States, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas approaching the milestone of Initial Operations Clearance (IOC), and the offset policy (on norms for foreign suppliers) announced by the Defence Ministry, Frontline met V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, in Chennai on December 2. He is also Director-General, DRDO, and is one of India's top missile technologists.

Saraswat has a PhD in Combustion Engineering and started his career in the DRDO in 1972, at the Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad. He is the architect of India's Ballistic Missile Development Programme (BMDP) under which the DRDO has flight-tested five interceptor missiles so far, with four being successful. Saraswat played an important role in the development of several critical missile technologies that were denied to India under the Missile Technology Control Regime. He steered the design, development, production of India's surface-to-surface missile “Prithvi” as well as its induction into the defence forces.

Excerpts from the interview:

The United States is to take DRDO off its Entities List in the wake of President Barack Obama's visit to India in November. What are the implications of this?

The DRDO being taken off the Entities List means that we will now go to a list called the Approved List. What this means is that for all dual-use items, we have to apply for licence, and for non-dual use items, we can buy them without licence, based on the policy of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). That is the main thing.


Now what is dual-use? As far as defence is concerned, anything that you use for defence is dual-use. That is where the implementation of the relaxed procedures will make an impact. If the implementation is based on the generic definition of dual-use item, then the gain [from India being taken off the Entities List] will not be significant. If the implementation is based on an item and its ultimate use as described by the importing laboratory, and a technical view is taken on that, only then will the relaxation make a real impact.

Otherwise, everything can again be brought back on the denied list because it is a dual-use item. This is the main issue that will affect tomorrow's programmes, and it will have an impact on the development of technology in our country.

You are aware that because of export-control regimes in the past there have been delays in development activities in India. Whatever was denied had to be developed ab initio in the country, whether they were missiles, tanks, torpedoes, gas turbine engines. The materials, the sensors, the bearings and computers were denied. As a result, our scientists, industries and academic institutions had to work together to build them. The gain from this denial is that many of these technologies, which we had otherwise decided not to develop, were developed. We, therefore, increased our self-reliance in these areas. But time and cost factors were there. It has cut both ways.

We will now have to see whether the implementation norms identified in the new U.S. policy are practised in letter and spirit. Only time will answer this and a lot of case studies will have to be done on what is the actual gain from this relaxed regime.

It is a good framework that the U.S. has provided. But its impact on the growth of technologies in India will be seen only when it is practically implemented.


DRDO

The light combat Aircraft Tejas airborne with its complement of missiles.

What has been the effect of the offset policy announced by the Defence Ministry? The policy says that if the foreign exchange component in any global defence purchase by India is more than Rs.300 crore, then the foreign company should source a minimum of 30 per cent of the components from India. Have the foreign companies from whom we have contracted to buy hardware decided to allow the Indian companies to produce 30 per cent of the subsystems and components in India?

The Offset Arrangement has laid down certain principles. We have many large equipment, which are being procured [from abroad]. It is being suggested that, as part of the offset, there should be acquisition of some critical technologies because if you do an offset only for the manufacture of a component or for doing consultancy, it is not good. An offset should not also be considered the equivalent of a joint venture. If a foreign company were to tie up with a local company for a joint venture [it will not be beneficial]. The present [offset] policy does not have these things.

What we have to bring in the new policy is acquiring technology tie-ups as part of the offset. This means we should get some technologies that are important for the nation. This should be done selectively so that we get the best in terms of technology. For, India is going to be involved in the huge imports of many systems, which are required for defence.

We are going to acquire aircraft, submarines and tanks. So many things are going to be imported. So offset should be used carefully and there should be involvement of Indian industry, the DRDO and defence production in a big way for selecting the offset. Only then we will be able to make use of the offset for industrial growth in the country.

The Rama Rao Committee has recommended the setting up of the defence technology commission. We have the Atomic Energy Commission and the Space Commission. At what stage is the setting up of the defence technology commission?

It is under draft now. It will be sent to the government for approval.

What will be the benefits that will accrue from this commission?

Any commission in a specific area is basically to give focus to the main objective of achieving a high level of self-reliance in that area, in this case the defence technology. That is the objective with which the Rama Rao Committee has recommended that a defence technology commission be set up. To achieve this objective, the commission should be empowered with the selection of technology, infrastructure and the research areas, and the guiding of various laboratories, research institutes and industries to create a strong network for developing defence technologies, in which the DRDO should have a major share.

Another objective of the commission is to accelerate the process of self-reliance. This is the main purpose. Ultimately, how the government approves it is to be seen. Right now, this is our thinking. There may be changes and modifications. It is in draft form now.

You hold several posts – Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, DRDO Director-General and Secretary, Research and Development, DRDO. You are also in charge of the Light Combat Aircraft project Tejas, among others. What is the status of Tejas?


K.V.SRINIVASAN

The main battle tank Arjun Mark-I at the test track complex of the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment at Avadi.

The Initial Operations Clearance (IOC) is in process. Right now, a big achievement is weapons delivery by Tejas. At trials in Goa, it fired an R-73 missile. We are confident that the goals we set with respect to completing the total number of flights, documentation, the release of weapons, communication, demonstration to the user and certification of essential subsystems should be over by the end of December.

Will you get the IOC next year?

All this is part of the IOC. After the IOC, production will start. The main objective of the IOC is to start production because the user has already placed an order for 20 aircraft. The HAL [Hindustan Aeronautics Limited] has set up the production infrastructure in Bangalore and it can start production as per the requirements of the user. And we can start working on the Final Operations Clearance (FOC). We have a programme for completing the FOC.

What is FOC?

You go for the FOC when you are in a position to do the complete certification. The integration of all weapons do not take place at the same time. More weapons will be added later. The integration of new weapons, new sensors and all that will be treated as part of the FOC.

The Army has placed orders for 124 Arjun Mark-I main battle tanks and another 124 Arjun Mark-II tanks. What progress has the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, situated at Avadi, made on these orders?

(Saraswat suggests that P. Sivakumar, Director, CVRDE, who is present give the reply.)

Sivakumar: The production of the 124 Arjun Mark-I tanks will be completed at the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), Avadi, by March 2011. For the production of the 124 Mark-II tanks, the HVF has been instructed to start the procurement of components. The process has already started. The 90 tanks produced so far are available with the 43rd and 75th Armoured Regiments. A programme called Exercise with Troops, using these tanks, got under way from November 22 at Jaisalmer [Rajasthan]. The Army will see how effectively they can use these tanks in the exercise. We are hoping that the performance of Arjun will yield more orders.

Saraswat: In terms of its performance, Arjun is one of the best tanks today. In terms of firepower, accuracy, mobility and the protection system we have provided, it matches the best in the world. But the threat profile is changing. An ammunition may be developed which can be stronger and can penetrate a thicker armour. So our effort now is to work on the next generation of Arjun tanks, which can survive offence and defence against futuristic threats in terms of penetration, fire-power, firing a missile, and so on. Today, we have a gun mounted on the Arjun. Tomorrow, we may have a missile mounted on it. Today, we have a passive protection system. Tomorrow, we will have an active protection system. Today, it has so much of speed. Tomorrow, it may be more mobile. My team in the CVRDE will be developing the Future MBT with a host of new technologies. That is our ambition.

Sivakumar: We will certainly keep doing product improvement in the present systems.

Saraswat: Today, we have Arjun Mark-I. Tomorrow, we will have Arjun Mark-II, which will be more capable. Then we will have Future Arjun, which will be contemporary to the 2015 to 2025 period.



The DRDO is working on cyber security…

This is an area that is gaining more and more importance. Today, the entire operation in our armed forces is network centric. In a network centric situation with a large number of sensors, weapons and groups of people working in a network mode, the main layer of networking is communication. If you are going to use your own dedicated communication, you are slightly safe. If you are using the Internet for gathering your resources to fight a war, you are vulnerable.

There are many agencies which are out to create problems by denying the network centricity. So we are building research areas on how to provide solutions to the armed forces on cyber security; how to build a robust communication system; how to build software that will not have any weakness; how to make servers, switches and routers that will have no parallel parts which can be triggered by an outside agency. We have identified our teams which will do research on cyber security. We will involve the industry because India has the advantage of a good information technology industry.

M. Natarajan, former Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, told me that young scientists of DRDO have developed highly advanced software for its interceptor missiles.

That [advanced software] is what we use for network centric activity. This has to be protected against software attacks from outside. We will build this software. Fortunately, our Ballistic Missile Development Programme has a dedicated network, which is not connected to the Internet. But in many areas, we are connected to the Internet. We exchange a lot of data.... The DRDO has taken the initiative to see that cyber security meets our defence requirements.

 

[RPK]

Induction of Products Designed by DRDO in Armed Forces

Some of the major products developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which have been inducted into Armed Forces during the last three years are:-

• Missiles
• Radars
• Electronic Warfare Systems
• Electronic Support Measure Systems
• Radar Warning Receiver
• Laser Target Designator
• Combat Net Radio
• Briefcase Terminal
• Thermal Imager
• Holographic Sight
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• Heavy Drop Systems
• Parachutes
• Combat Free Fall System
• Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) System
• Combat Vehicles
• Armoured Ambulance
• Bridge Layer Tank
• Robotic System
• Recce Vehicle
• Armoured Amphibious Dozer
• Mines
• Fire Detection and Suppression System
• Bridging Systems
• Grenades and Launchers
• Guns and Rifles
• Ammunitions
• Sonars
• Torpedos
• Life Support Systems
• Composite Materials and Steels
• Life Jackets
• Bio-digester
• Ready to Eat Meal
• Submarine Escape Suite
• NBC Detection and Protection System.

All products developed by the DRDO and inducted into the Armed Forces have met the qualitative requirements fully. However, modifications/improvements suggested by the users during developmental stage are incorporated before the product is inducted into Armed Forces. During life cycle of the product already inducted into the Armed Forces, improvements required by the users in the existing systems in terms of quality, performance, function, etc. are carried out by the DRDO.

Regular interactions with the Armed Forces are held at various levels right from conception of the project/programme through development and productionisation. Periodic meetings with the users as well as their participation during product trials are other steps which are taken to develop better coordination and cooperation with the Armed Forces. Production agency is also identified at the beginning of the project. Thus all the three stake holders i.e. developing agency, user and production agency work together in a coordinated manner.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri AayanurManjunatha in Rajya Sabha today.

DM/HH/RK
(Release ID :95824)