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INDIA’S DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION (DRDO) |
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From
a small beginning as the Defence Science Organisation in 1948 to attempt
import substitution and create a base for Defence R&D and production
of advanced systems and hardware, the Defence Research and Development
Organisation of India (DRDO) has grown into a multi-headed hydra with 52
laboratories, and 8 Defence PSUs and 39 Ordnance Factories to
support its efforts towards self-sufficiency in defence field. A
dispassionate scrutiny of the achievements, brings out that in small and
medium range projects, DRDO scientists have done well but in major
projects except for the missiles develoment and production, the track
record has been rather mediocre. The
control of defence PSUs and the ordnance factories vests with the
Secretary of Defence Production and Supplies, but that of DRDO is with the
Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister. This dichotomy produces
problems of co-ordination and diffusion in the definition of
responsibility. The eight PSUs, some of which were earlier small private
ventures are - Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Bharat Electronics (BEL),
Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) Mazagon Dock Ltd(MDL), Garden Reach
Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Goa Shipyard Ltd(GSL), Bharat
Dynamics Ltd (BDL) and Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (MIDHANI). To ensure
reliable and consistent performance of indigenously produced defence
hardware, is the set-up of the Director General of Quality Assurance (DGQA).
The DRDO was headed by Mr. Arunachallam now teaching in the US, till early
90’s .He was followed by Dr Abdul Kalam a rocket scientist from Indian
Space Research Organisation who recently after almost a decade has handed
over to Dr V K Aatre, a Canadian trained sonar scientist. Some
of the successful projects of DRDO are radar systems like the Indra ,
special steels, packed foods, snow clothing, vehicles, bridge layers,
naval sonars and EW consoles and improved items like MIG brake liners and
the missiles like the SSM Prithvi/Dhanush, SAMs Trishul, & Akash and
the anti-tank Nag. These missiles are line-produced at Bharat Dynamics,
Hyderabad. The sights are now set upon the ICBM Agni II of 2000 km range.
DRDO’s laboratories along with the Army Engineers have also played a
substantial role in the Pokharan-II nuclear tests in May1998. Some of the
major DRDO projects/programmes are listed below. The
ambitious Integrated Missile Development Programme, closely linked with
the space research, commenced in 1983 and its achievements have already
been mentioned above which are significant. The upbeat mood of the
scientists in the project can be summed up, “the pregnancy is over and
multiple child-births should follow.” Series
production of 15 Pilotless Target Aircraft the LAKSHAYA for the three
services and Nishant UAV, steered by the Aeronautical Development
Establishment Bangalore and manufactured by HAL has been cleared. However
the regime to fly UAV’s at heights of over 17000 feet over Kargil has to
be met by import from Israel. DRDO’s plan for an indigenous ASWAC came a
cropper when the technology demonstrator with radar rotodome and EW
equipment fitted on an Avro 748 crashed near Chennai on 10 Jan 1999 with
the loss of the experienced crew and scientists and a major setback to the
project. Now the IAF has inducted a A-50 from Russia on lease and has
plans to acquire a few outright. The
LCA is a multi role single engined aircraft weighing 4 tons with
quadraplex digital fly by wire FCS, multimode Doppler radar, ergonomc
digital glass cockpit and tailless delta configuration. The technology
demonstrators TD 1 and TD 2 rolled out on 17 Nov 1995 and Aug 1998 and are
powered by GE 404 F 2 J3 engines. The indigenously produced engine Kaverii
has undergone 945 hours testing at the Russian Central Institute of
Aviation Motors CIAM Moscow. The two prototypes are undergoing taxi trials
and awaiting maiden flights, which keeps getting postponed thus dashing
the hopes of the IAF to induct a home made fighter by 2005 and for the
Navy to deploy them in its Air Defence Ship . The project has received US
$ 150 mill earlier and another equal tranche recently, but there are
apprehensions about timely delivery and the Defence Ministry has put out
for 10 additional Mirage 2000s. The ubiquitous SU 30 deal signed by
successive governments is now for a total of 50 fighters and the follow on
may well be produced at the Nasik HAL facility, which earlier produced the
MIG 23s. Great hopes are still pinned on the LCA and when DRDO succeeds it
will be a remarkable feat for a third world country. The US sanctions have
caused delay. India’s
MBT Arjun is a 16 year old project bedevilled with an under powered 1400
Bhp MTU engine which could not cope with the Rajasthan heat and the 120mm
gun-fire not so accurate on the move . By March 1995 US$ 85 mill had been
expended on the project and another 25 mill US$ has been sanctioned as two
trial regiments have been manufactured and inducted in the in the Army but
users have not been fully satisfied with the performance to clear serial
production so the T 90s are on the cards . The project breathes. The
DRDO has produced a 12 barreled rocket launcher on a Kolas TATRA VVN 8+8
Chassis capable of firing rockets at 4 sec interval to around 20 km. User
assisted technical trials have been carried out with a command post
vehicle in tactical mode, but full fledged user trials are awaited. The
project continues while the Army employed the imported Russian GRAD RBLs
with success in the Kargil war and looks forward to the Pinaka becoming
fully operational. The bomb lets can penetrate 150mm of armour. The
IN has successfully employed the DRDO/NPOL designed APSOH and Humsa Sonars
which were manufactured at BEL for the Navy’s frontline ships .The
Panchendriya tactical system was also produced by DRDO and the Navy
received assistance for its EW fits. A prolonged exercise is ongoing to
up-grade the Russian supplied anti submarine CET 53 and heavy weight
anti-ship torpedoes, but again time over runs have made the exercise
futile. The
Advance Technology Vehicle(ATV) is the secret nuclear submarine project of
the DRDO for the Indian Navy and with India going nuclear great hopes are
pinned on this project . (for details see navy.htm). 1.
AERIAL DELIVERY RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ESTT., Station Road,
Post Box. No.51, Agra Cantt. 282 001 This
laboratory supports parachute and other aerial dropped projects research
and is co located with the Indian Armed Forces Para school. 2.
VEHICLE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ESTT. Ahmednagar 414 001 The
advancements in technology and trials and research on vehicles is executed
here and ARDE has ranges which supports all weapon systems that need
traction trials . 3.
DEFENCE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH LABORATORY Almora
263 601 4.
COMBAT VEHICLE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ESTABLISHMENT Avadi, Chennai 600
054
5.
PROOF
AND EXPERIMENTAL ESTT This
establishment is co located near the Interim Test Range on the East Coast
which has state of the art telemetry equipment .The proof charge of
missiles and ammunition and trajectories of firings are confirmed here and
the establishment has done yeoman service in testing munitions for the
three services . 6.
AERONAUTICAL
DEVELOPMENT ESTT The
PTA and UAV research and support to the ALH being built at HAL and LCA
which is controlled from the ADA also at Bangalore is provided by this
laboratory. 7.
GAS
TURBINE RESEARCH ESTT. The
Kaveri engine for the LCA and another indigenous for the MBT and research
on gas turbines is processed at this Lab. 8.
ELECTRONICS & RADAR DEVELOPMENT ESTT. The
radar, EW and communications research is carried out here and is
co-located near the BEL production facility for coordination and testing . 9.
DEFENCE BIO-ENGINEERING & ELECTRO-MEDICAL LABORATORY 10.
CENTRE FOR AERONAUTICAL SYSTEM STUDIES & ANALYSIS 11. MICROWAVE TUBE R and D CENTRE 12. CENTRE FOR ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE This
unit was set up by US returned scientists but now the advances by civilian
companies which have foreign collaborations in India renders this lab a
luxury for research as it fails to attract world class talent . 13. NAVAL CHEMCIAL & METALLURGICAL LABORATORY This
laboratory has done yeoman work for paints required for naval applications
and chemical analysis for rusting and corrosion , but with the civil
industry now able to support the Navy with their R and D the need has
reduced . It even manufactures special paints for the Naval Dockyard at
Mumbai. 14. DEFENCE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT UNIT 15. TERMINAL BALLISTICS RESEARCH LABORATORY This
laboratory has done extensive and good work on detonators and charges and
is credited with assisting in the trigger for the Pokhran II nuclear
explosions, 16. NAVAL PHYSICAL & OCEANOGRAPHIC LABORATORY NPOL
has a fund of knowledge on Sonars and sonobuoys and bathy data which has
been most useful for the Navy and the production agencies . Situated near
the Torpedo and Anti Submarine School has enabled close coordination in
producing the APSOH and other sonars and indegenous sonsbuoys. 17.
DEFENCE
SCIENCE CENTRE 18.
SOLIDSTATE
PHYSICS LABORATORY 19.
INSTITUTE
OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE & ALLIED SCIENCE 20.
DEFENCE INSTITUTE OF PHYSIOLOGY 7 ALLIED SCIENCES 21.
INSTITUTE OF SYSTEMS STUDIES & ANALYSIS 22.
DEFENCE INSTITUTE OF FIRE RESEARCH 23.
DEFENCE SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION & DOCUMENTATIONS CENTRE 24.
DEFENCE TERRAIN RESEARCH LABORATORY 25.
SCIENTIFIC
ANALYSIS GROUP 26.
DEFENCE INSTITUTE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH This
laboratory provides assistance to the selection system in all branches of
the Armed Forces and studies akin to the Individual Psychological Aptitude
tests designed for the US Armed Forces. 27.
INSTRUMENTS
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ESTABLISHMENT Co
located with DEAL at Dehra Dun good work had been done earlier on electro
optical devices, but with collaborations with firms like EL OP of Israel
and purchases from abroad testing etc is carried out here. 28.
DEFENCE
ELECTRONICS APPLICATION LAB 29.
DEFENCE
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ESTT. 30.
DEFENCE
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT LAB 31.
DEFENCE METALLURGICAL RESEARCH LAB Co
located with the PSU MIDHANI which produces special steels and metals ,
this lab has contributed to the nuclear bomb efforts and Pokhran nuclear
experiments and done pioneer work for the Armed Forces in this field
especially with molybdenum components . 32.
DEFENCE ELECTRONICS RESEARCH LAB This
lab has also done commendable work on EW and Communication and radar
systems . 33.
DEFENCE LABORATORY 34.
DEFENCE MATERIALS & STORES RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
ESTABLISHMENT, 35.
DEFENCE INSTITUTE OF WORKS STUDY This
school has trained officers and ranks of the Armed Forces in PERT and
other OR matters besides carrying out Operational Research studies
situated at 8000 feet and offers salubrious climate . 36.
DEFENCE FOOD RESEARCH LAB 37.
ARMAMENT
RESEARCH 7 DEVELOPMENT ESTABLISHMENT,
Armament
Post, Pashan, Pune 411 021 This
establishment has along with ERDL near Pune supported all explosive
testing . 38.
EXPLOSIVE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY 39.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
ESTABLISHMENT
(ENGRS) This
laboratory has pioneered excellent equipment for the engineers like bridge
layers etc . 40.
INSTITUTE OF ARMAMENT TECHNOLOGY This
school has trained armament cadres of the three services . 41.
DEFENCE RESEARCH LABORATORY 42.
NAVAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGICAL LABORATORY This
facility is involved in upgrading and improving the naval torpedoes and
has made torpedo launchers successfully, now installed in front line ships
. 43.
SNOW & AVALANCHE STUDY
ESTABLISHMENT Many
studies for the Himalayan region have been carried out for the Army with
success as avalanche losses have been reduced and methods to cope improved
. 44.
FIELD RESEARCH LABORATORY 45.
RANGE CENTRE & INTERIM TEST RANGE 46.
ADVNACED SYSTEMS INTEGRATION EVALUATION ORGANISATION 47.
DRDO COMPUTER CENTRE 48.
CENTRE FOR AIRBORNE SYSTEMS,
Yemalur
Post, Bangalore 560 037 This
lab was responsible for developing the Indian ASWACS platform that crashed
on 10 Jan 1999. 49.
ADVANCED NUMERICAL RESEARCH & ANALYSIS GROUP 50.
INSTITUTE
OF ROBOTICS & INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS 51.
AERONAUTICAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY,
Suranjan
Das Road, Bangalore 560 037 52.
GALLIUM ARSENIDE ENABLING TECHNOLOGY CENTRE
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