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Call for better aviation technology

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM JUNE 20. The poor status of aviation manufacturing technology in India might turn out to be a handicap for the country's space programme in the coming days when the focus shifts to reusable space vehicles, according to the Director of the Liquid Propulsion System Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), N. Vedachalam.

Inaugurating a national seminar on Aerospace Manufacturing organised by the Society of Aerospace Manufacturing Engineers (SAME) here today, Mr. Vedachalam said it was an irony that though the country had achieved total self-reliance in the aerospace manufacturing sector, it was lagging far behind in the matter of aviation manufacturing technology.

He said India could now send a two-tonne satellite into the orbit using space vehicles developed fully in the country. "But we cannot make a 20-seater civil aviation vehicle on our own. Aviation manufacturing technology will become crucial when we start making reusable space vehicles in our space programme'', he said.

Mr. Vedachalam said the integration of aerospace and aviation industry was an area that needed immediate attention in the country.

The country owed quite a lot to the aerospace industry and various academic institutions for the success of its space programme so far. Mr. Vedachalam referred to high-strength alloys and special materials the industry had developed to support the space programme. The pursuit for excellence should continue to push the country to the forefront of this high technology field, he added.

Presiding over the inaugural session, the chairman and managing director of Mishra Dhathu Nigam Limited, Devasis Chowdhary, spoke of the role played by the institution in developing and indigenising most of the high strength super alloys for the ISRO's programme.

The associate director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, R. V. Perumal, delivered the keynote address.

The general manager of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, D. K. Naithani, released the proceedings of the conference.

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