Advanced composite materials developed by DRDO to improve missile range

[kurup]

Though there’s no denying that safety is paramount, last year’s Central government’s notification categorizing ammonium nitrate as explosives under the explosive ACT 1884, is causing a lot of inconvenience to manufacturers, users and importers. It has affected the availability of the chemical for fertilizer purposes too.
S Roy, a former government employee of Rashtriya Chemical Fertilizers and other industries and now a freelance consultant in the field, spoke to the TOI elaborating on his views on the sidelines of a day-long national conference on ‘Advances in explosives and propellants’ organized by the chemical engineering department at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT). Efforts to categorize ammonium nitrate as explosives were on for a long time but began to take form only from 2011 onwards and finally came into effect from March 20, 2013.
“Selling, manufacturing, storing, transporting, safety and importing all have been brought under the explosives act. There were ample deliberations between manufacturers’ associations and government but did not result into anything concrete.

The process has also resulted in imports,” Roy said.

Speaking on the solid rocket propellants for Indian missiles, Prashant Kumar Adak, a scientist at the High Energy Materials Research Lab of Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO), Pune, said that DRDO had developed advance composite materials for missiles which can improve the missile’s range as well as the pay load capacity. It has developed advanced version of explosive composites for application in war heads of rockets thus increasing the performance ability.

The conference was earlier inaugurated by TR Thomas, the chief controller of explosives (PESO) in city. Beginning with the history of explosives like gun powder, Thomas went on explain the present day hazards of explosives. Ajai Nigam, the former chief controller of explosives, deliberated on the advances in explosives and propellants from the good old days when explosives were used in very primitive form to the developments in the present times.

VNIT director NS Chaudhari spoke on the importance of role of chemical engineers in the field and prompted students to take research as a challenge. Department head and convener of the conference KL Wasewar, co-convener DZ Shende and organizing secretary MN Varma also spoke on the occasion.

Advanced composite materials developed by DRDO to improve missile range | idrw.org

 

[TeesraIndiotHunter]

Increasing range of ballistic missiles is one of the easiest thing to do for engineers/scientists...

The real challenges are increasing the accuracy, MIRV warheads, more sophisticated navigation on board, making weapons lighter and less bulkier but keeping the same punch/destructive power and so on...

DRDO's research will help indian missile program in other ways too, other than just increasing the range.

Hope a day can come when DRDO can share its research in long-range ballistic missiles with Pakistani institutions such as National Defence Complex, Suparco, Khan Research Laboratories and so on.

indian missile program has a lot to grow still, since india needs effective weapons against China. I wonder whats happening with Pakistan's missile program...

It achieved its maximum required range (2500km etc) and then went towards complete sophistication by starting the process of retiring all liquid fueled missiles and replacing them with more advance and reliable solid-fueled missiles.

I guess Pakistan's focus now is ultimate sophistication in missile program. That is, building stealth cruise missiles, Air-launched nuclear stand-off weapons, and smaller scale weapons like Nasr that can be used in battle-field with utter devastation.

And that's exactly what we see I guess.

Missile programs like Nasr, Ra'ad, and Babur (specially on-going naval launch version) are a right step in achieving the ultimate sophistication in missile program.

 

[SrNair]

Increasing range of ballistic missiles is one of the easiest thing to do for engineers/scientists...

The real challenges are increasing the accuracy, MIRV warheads, more sophisticated navigation on board, making weapons lighter and less bulkier but keeping the same punch/destructive power and so on...

DRDO's research will help indian missile program in other ways too, other than just increasing the range.

Hope a day can come when DRDO can share its research in long-range ballistic missiles with Pakistani institutions such as National Defence Complex, Suparco, Khan Research Laboratories and so on.

indian missile program has a lot to grow still, since india needs effective weapons against China. I wonder whats happening with Pakistan's missile program...

It achieved its maximum required range (2500km etc) and then went towards complete sophistication by starting the process of retiring all liquid fueled missiles and replacing them with more advance and reliable solid-fueled missiles.

I guess Pakistan's focus now is ultimate sophistication in missile program. That is, building stealth cruise missiles, Air-launched nuclear stand-off weapons, and smaller scale weapons like Nasr that can be used in battle-field with utter devastation.

And that's exactly what we see I guess.

Missile programs like Nasr, Ra'ad, and Babur (specially on-going naval launch version) are a right step in achieving the ultimate sophistication in missile program.

Our technology is used for certain purposes ,not for knowledge share we develop these technology with out anyone support (MTCR problem) and will not going to share that technology.
This is about achievements in Indian missile program .Not about Pakistan missile program.

 

[Manvantaratruti]

India has already started using CL-20 as Rocket Fuel. That is pretty much cutting edge........ there is no other fuel that has more burn rate.

There is no one above us as of today.