Indigenous systems will immensely benefit forces: DRDO

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said on Thursday that the armed forces and the industry will be immensely benefitted by the manufacturing of indigenous systems.

DRDO Chairman G. Satheesh Reddy said that air-to-air missile Astra, the Software Defined Radio, Pinaka munitions, and Land Attack Cruise Missile are state-of-the-art systems developed by the DRDO.

Astra is a beyond visual range (BVR) class of air-to-air missile (AAM) system designed to be mounted on fighter aircraft. The missile is designed to engage and destroy highly manoeuvring supersonic aircraft.

The missile has all-weather day and night capability. It is being developed in multiple variants to meet specific requirements.

The Astra Mk-I Weapon System integrated with SU-30 Mk-I aircraft is being inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF). It can be launched in autonomous and buddy mode of operation with features for lock-on-before launch (LOBL) and lock-on-after launch (LOAL).

The Software Defined Radio (SDR) is a secure indigenous system with legacy communication support and secure digital voice/data communication for Naval application with 3-channel (2V/UHF band and 1HF band) and 4-channel (2V/UHF band and 2L-band) system for tactical communication and single channel operation in V/UHF (Manpack role) and UHF band (Handheld role).

Pinaka is an all-weather, indirect fire, free flight artillery rocket system. It provides a unique capability to accurately deliver a devastatingly lethal and responsive fire against a variety of area targets such as exposed enemy troops, armored and soft skin vehicles, communication centres, air terminal complexes, fuel and ammunition dumps.

The Pinaka weapon system consists of rocket, multi barrel rocket launcher, battery command post, loader-cum-replenishment vehicle, replenishment vehicle and Digicora MET radar.

The Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) demonstrated critical cruise missile technologies such as aerodynamic configuration, vertical launch using solid booster, thrust vector control system, booster separation, in-flight wing deployment, in-flight engine start and long range way-point navigation system.

Seeker development and testing by DRDO laboratories are at a high level of readiness. Thus, it is important to take up the proposed development of fully indigenous LRLACM that greatly enhance the operational capability of the forces, the DRDO said..