Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

BEL lab in Hyderabad soon, says CMD

HYDERABAD: Bangalore-based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) will shortly set up a central research laboratory in Hyderabad for its futuristic research in the fields of electronic warfare and electro optics.

This would be the third such lab of BEL after Bangalore and Ghaziabad where the organisation is working on radars and communications, the organisation’s Chairman and Managing Director V.V.R. Sastry said.

Disclosing this at a panel discussion during a seminar on the latest trends in precision engineering here on Saturday, Mr. Sastry said the lab in Hyderabad would be in addition to a factory of electro optics already run by BEL in Machilipatnam. The seminar was organised by the Aeronautical Society of India and the Federation of AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju asked the industry to design products for the armed forces with a thorough understanding of the security scenario in the country.

He praised the indigenous satellite programme for achieving good results despite embargos placed by other countries.

Avinash Chander, Director, Advanced Systems Laboratory of Defence Research Development Organisation, expected Hyderabad to emerge as a major hub of the aerospace industry.

The precision engineering capabilities were high in the city.

Neerabh Kumar Prasad, Commissioner, Industries, said the State government had decided to come up with an industrial policy devoted to the aerospace sector.

It looked for common facilities for the sector in Kukatpally, Balanagar, Sanathnagar and Cherlapally industrial areas.

P. Venugopalan, Director, Defence Research Development Laboratory, stressed the need to place development-cum-production orders with the industry so that it was guaranteed returns over investment.

D.N. Reddy, Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, wanted light but more powerful missiles.

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