Date:21/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/21/stories/2008022155410600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Nod for DRDO project

S. K. Chaudhuri

HYDERABAD: An in-principle clearance has been accorded to a DRDO project to equip surface-to-surface missiles with Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) which will ensure accurate attack of enemy targets while minimising collateral damage.

The project will be launched in the next three to four months as the financial approval is awaited, Associate Director of Research Centre Imarat, S. K. Chaudhuri told reporters here on Wednesday.

The PGMs could be put in any surface-to-surface missile. The DRDO was planning to initially demonstrate the efficacy of the PGMs with Prithvi and subsequently with Dhanush and BrahMos missiles. “We can go up to 20 to 25 PGMs in a missile”.

Underlining the important role PGMs could play, he said in case a runway had to be damaged a series of dents would have to be created to make it non-functional.

Foreign collaboration

Asked if DRDO proposed to have foreign collaboration for the project, he said: “We plan to have collaboration depending on the need.”

He said RCI, ‘the aviation and electronics hub’ of the guided missile programme, would be organising an international conference on avionics systems (ICAS-2008) on February 22 and 23 as part of DRDO’s golden jubilee year. Some 600 delegates, including many experts from abroad were expected to participate in the event which would be inaugurated by former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Exhibition

He said that a 650-page volume on trends in avionic systems would be released on the occasion. An exhibition coinciding with the event would also be organised.