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Interview with the Chief of DRDO, Avinash Chander -Part II
Saurav Jha: Talking about the future, one area that is always supposed to be 'five years away' is that of directed energy weapons (DEW). India too has programs in this sphere with weaponization being pursued in labs such as CHESS. So what is the status of India's DEW pursuits?
Avinash Chander: We have been for too long on the fringe of this area. Our initial aim was to create a centre which will look at how to convert technologies into weapon systems. That centre has just come up. But definitely within the next decade we are looking for sufficient deployable capability. We must have a deployable weapon system within one decade.
Saurav Jha: Which of the two technologies is likely to be weaponized earlier, high power microwave or solid state laser?
Avinash Chander: lasers will have better opportunities to start with. Because for harnessing microwave power in a more 'directional' way, much more work has to be done.
Saurav Jha: Turning to cybersecurity, there is today a sort of melding between cyber and electronic warfare techniques with American programs such as 'Senior Suter'. How is India keeping pace with such trends?
Avinash Chander: Well, India needs to create a cyber test range. That is very critical and very important. Cyber is an area where nobody shares and you cannot share either, understandably. You can share information but not the tools. Each side has to develop its own tools and that is where our stress is. The good part is that Indians are rather keyed up in the information technology domain. I think we have to only channelize that manpower towards more innovative defensive applications.
Saurav Jha: Dr Chander, aerospace is another domain where India is looking to emerge with credible homegrown platforms. In that sense, will the Tejas Mk-I attain final operational clearance this year?
Avinash Chander: We are working hard to do that. I am sure all the weapon trials will be over. There may be some delay in the refuelling system, but other then that we are confident that we'll meet targets.
Saurav Jha: What is the rough unit cost of a Tejas Mk-I?
Avinash Chander: I can't comment on the exact figure, but I think it is around Rs 200 crores plus. HAL will be able to give you the exact figure.
plese read rest of the interview here
Saurav Jha: Talking about the future, one area that is always supposed to be 'five years away' is that of directed energy weapons (DEW). India too has programs in this sphere with weaponization being pursued in labs such as CHESS. So what is the status of India's DEW pursuits?
Avinash Chander: We have been for too long on the fringe of this area. Our initial aim was to create a centre which will look at how to convert technologies into weapon systems. That centre has just come up. But definitely within the next decade we are looking for sufficient deployable capability. We must have a deployable weapon system within one decade.
Saurav Jha: Which of the two technologies is likely to be weaponized earlier, high power microwave or solid state laser?
Avinash Chander: lasers will have better opportunities to start with. Because for harnessing microwave power in a more 'directional' way, much more work has to be done.
Saurav Jha: Turning to cybersecurity, there is today a sort of melding between cyber and electronic warfare techniques with American programs such as 'Senior Suter'. How is India keeping pace with such trends?
Avinash Chander: Well, India needs to create a cyber test range. That is very critical and very important. Cyber is an area where nobody shares and you cannot share either, understandably. You can share information but not the tools. Each side has to develop its own tools and that is where our stress is. The good part is that Indians are rather keyed up in the information technology domain. I think we have to only channelize that manpower towards more innovative defensive applications.
Saurav Jha: Dr Chander, aerospace is another domain where India is looking to emerge with credible homegrown platforms. In that sense, will the Tejas Mk-I attain final operational clearance this year?
Avinash Chander: We are working hard to do that. I am sure all the weapon trials will be over. There may be some delay in the refuelling system, but other then that we are confident that we'll meet targets.
Saurav Jha: What is the rough unit cost of a Tejas Mk-I?
Avinash Chander: I can't comment on the exact figure, but I think it is around Rs 200 crores plus. HAL will be able to give you the exact figure.
plese read rest of the interview here