A monthly house bulletin of Defence Research & Development Organisation ■ Vol. 33 No.5 ■ May 2013

The intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) Agni 2, was successfully flight tested on 7 April 2013 by the Indian Armed Forces from the Wheeler’s island off the coast of Odisha.

The two-stage vehicle, launched from a mobile launcher, met all the mission objectives. Radars and electro-optical tracking systems located along the flight path tracked and monitored the parameters of the vehicle. Two ships located near the target point in the Bay of Bengal witnessed the final event. The launch operations were witnessed by the DRDO scientists led by the Project Director Shri D Lakshminarayana. Programme Director, Shri Avinash Chander, Distinguished Scientist (DS) and Chief Controller (CC) R&D (MSS), guided the teams during the operations.

Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri (SA to RM), Secretary, Deptartment of Defence R&D and DG DRDO and the top brass of the user command were also present during the test firing. The testing was done as part of the regular exercise of the armed forces. Dr VG Sekaran, DS and Director, Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), Hyderabad; Shri MVKV Prasad, Director, Interim Test Range (ITR), Chandipur; Shri Manjit Singh, Director, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh along with other top DRDO scientists were also present.

Shri AK Antony, hon’ble Raksha Mantri congratulated the DRDO scientists and Armed Forces on the successful launch of the missile.

Successful User Flight Test of Agni 2

2 May 2013

India successfully launches BrahMos Missile from Underwater

The submarine-launched version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired on 20 March 2013 from a submerged platform in the Bay of Bengal off the coast Visakhapatnam.

Creating history, the missile took off vertically from the submerged platform for its full range of 290 km. Following a pre-defined trajectory, the missile emerged from underwater, took a turn towards the designated target meeting all mission objectives. All the telemetry and tracking stations, including Indian naval ships positioned throughout the flight path, confirmed the pin-point accuracy of the mission. BrahMos, installed vertically in a modular launcher in the pressure hull of the submarine, will increase the ‘offensive power’ of the vessel without compromising on its ‘defensive power’. This new variant of the supersonic cruise missile will add more fire power to the Navy’s underwater weapon delivery capabilities.

Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, CEO and MD BrahMos said that “BrahMos is fully ready for fitment in P 75 (I) of

Indian Navy in vertical launch configuration which will make the platform one of the most powerful weapon platform in the world.”

Congratulating the team, Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat, SA to RM, termed it as yet another landmark technological breakthrough and a significant step towards boosting India’s military strength.

Raksha Mantri Shri AK Antony congratulated DRDO and Russian scientists along with members from Indian Navy associated with the project for successful test launch of BrahMos from underwater platform and said, “It is a wonderful achievement and proud moment for India.”

The naval variant of BrahMos has already proved its mettle in both vertical and inclined launch configurations from moving warships. The missile has been successfully inducted in number of frontline Indian Navy warships and will be deployed in other future surface ships.

Raising/Foundation Day Celebration

DEAL, Dehradun

Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (DEAL), Dehradun, celebrated its Annual Day on 23rd February 2013 with full fervour. Many sports events were organised to mark the event. Shri RC Agarwal, Director, DEAL, inaugurated the function. A cultural programme by DEAL employees was also organised.

ITM , Mussoorie

Institute of Technology Management (ITM), Mussoorie, celebrated its 52nd Foundation Day on 3 March 2013. Cultural and sports events were organised during 26 February to 3 March 2013. Dr SB Singh, Director, ITM, awarded the meritorious employees of the institute. He also released in-house Hindi magazine, Srijan, on the occasion.

Shri RC Agarwal lighting the lamp Release of Srijan

3May 2013

The Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI), Hyderabad Branch, organised an International Conference and Exhibition on Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA) during 16-17 March 2013 at Hyderabad. Shri MM Pallam Raju, hon’ble Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India, was the Chief Guest of the inaugural function. Shri GM Rao, President AeSI and Chairman, GMR Group and Dr VK Saraswat, SA to RM and Chairman, AeSI, Hyderabad Branch, were also present during the inaugural function. Distinguished fraternity from the international aerospace domain and from the Government of India, aerospace industries, and premier scientific establishments both in India and abroad were part of the Conference.

Shri MM Pallam Raju, in his inaugural address, stressed on design and development in all areas of aerospace and the efforts needed to meet the challenges in the rapidly growing aviation sector of the world. He lauded the efforts of AeSI for spearheading and organising the International Conference on Regional Transport Aircraft and congratulated all the AeSI awardees for the year 2012. Dr SK Chaudhuri, OS and Director, Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, and the Chairman of the Organising Committee, welcomed all the participants. Dr VK Saraswat, in his opening remarks highlighted the key challenges faced by the Indian Regional Transport Aircraft Project and exhorted AeSI to bring together the research centres,

aviation industries, airports, airlines, manufacturers and policy drivers to discuss the key issues collectively for providing single window solutions. Dr S Christopher, DS and Director, Centre for Air Borne Systems (CABS), Bengaluru, delivered the Neelkantan Memorial Lecture on the Past, Present and Future of the Aeroborne Surveillance Systems in India. Prof. V Adimurthy, Dean R&D, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, delivered the Prof. Satish Dhawan Memorial Lecture on the Literary Visions for Future Technologies.

Dr VK Saraswat inaugurated the exhibition showcasing the technologies and areas for the major aircraft and aviation industries in India and abroad and the opportunities for international collaboration. Many leading aerospace industries and academic institutes participated in the exhibition and displayed their products and achievements. The Biren Roy Trust Lecture on the Indigenous Aero Engine Development was delivered by Dr K Tamilmani, DS and CC R&D (Aero), which was followed by a Presentation by the Safran Group,

International Conference and Exhibition on Regional Transport Aircraft

Dr Saraswat (third from left) addressing the participants during the conference

4 May 2013

Defence Science Forum (DSF) organised DRDO Oration on Delhi Metro: Engineering and Management Challenges by Shri Mangu Singh, Managing Director, DMRC, on 20 March 2013 at Dr Bhagavantham Auditorium, Metcalfe House, Delhi.

Shri Mangu Singh, enriched the audience, with his ideas and thoughts during his educative and illuminating oration. He talked about the successful Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of Delhi Metro. He shared his experience in rail-based

DRDO Oration by MD, DMRC

transportation projects, planning and execution, procurement of works and services for mega projects on design-and-built basis, multilateral funding agencies, development of bid documents for metro projects on PPP basis, management of concession contracts, etc.

Dr Manas K Mandal, OS and CC R&D (LS), DRDO HQ, presented memento to Shri Mangu Singh on behalf of DSF. Dr Rajeev Vij, Secretary, DSF, proposed the vote of thanks.

France, on the expertise and long-term partnership with India. The Kalpana Chawla Memorial Lecture on Quality and Safety Management System was delivered by Mrs Harpreet A De Singh, Head QSM and GM-CS, Air India.

Dr Kota Harinarayana, Dr DS Kothari Chair Professor, delivered the keynote address on the Enhanced Regional Air Transportation in India—Issues, Challenges and Opportunities. Shri SK Jha, Managing Director (Accessories), HAL, Lucknow, delivered the second keynote address on the HAL’s Vision for Indian Civil Aviation.

The Conference comprised two plenary sessions with important presentations and deliberations on the following topics: A Recap of the RTA Programme at CSIR-NAL; Regulatory Framework of MRO; Role of MRO in the Airline Industry; Global Perspective on the Indian Domestic Airliners Market and the Possible Participation in the RTA Programme in India; Advances in High Performance Gas Turbine Engines; Bad Weather, Low Visibility and Instrument Landing Systems; Virtual Plateau to Enable RTA 70 Development; RTA Infrastructure; Industry Base and Capability Building; etc., and thereby provided global platform for joint ventures and collaborations for optimum utilisation of technologies and resources. Representatives from international and indian aerospace fraternity, viz., Israel

Aerospace Industries, Dassault Systems, Director General Civil Aviation, AP Aviation Academy, NAL, MAS GMR, and DRDO delivered invited talks for envisaging the key strategies for RTA.

Panel discussions were held under the Chairmanship of Dr VK Saraswat to discuss the strategy towards realisation of RTA for providing final direction and perspective roadmaps. The panel members were: Dr SK Chaudhuri, OS and Director Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad; Shri Charan Das, Jt Director General, DGCA; Shri Khairuddin Hamzah, GM, MAS GMR; Dr Moshe Zilberman, IAI Israel and Capt SN Reddy, CEO, AP Aviation Academy. Dr Saraswat emphasised that RTA is the need of the hour as we still lack effective connectivity to the major towns and districts across the country. The product should be techno commercially viable, should come out very fast and joint collaboration in key areas with foreign industries to be explored and encouraged. He said that key infrastructure for operationalisation of RTA and its subsequent maintenance, repair and overhaul have to be immediately put into place in parallel. Dr Saraswat also said that infrastructure for design, development and manufacturing needs to be planned concurrently along with risk mitigation mechanisms. Shri N Vijay Kumar, Honorary Secretary, AeSI, Hyderabad Branch, proposed the vote of thanks.

5May 2013

International Women’s Day Celebration

ASL, Hyderabad

Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), Hyderabad, celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) on 6 March 2013. Smt Amala Akkineni, Founder, Blue Cross, was the Chief Guest. She addressed issues related to women empowerment. Smt Radhika Acharya, Organisational Psychologist, was the Guest of Honour. Shri Avinash Chander, DS and CC R&D (MSS) presided over the celebration. Dr VG Sekaran, DS and Director, ASL, also addressed the gathering.

Smt Tessy Thomas, Chairperson, Women’s Cell, delivered the welcome address. A cultural programme with skit and dance performances by ASL’s women employees was organised to celebrate the occasion. Smt S Shankari proposed the vote of thanks.

From left: Smt Tessy Thomas, Dr VG Sekaran, Shri Avinash Chander, Smt Amala Akkineni, and Smt Radhika Acharya at the

inaugural ceremony of IWD at ASL

CABS, Bengaluru

Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), Bengaluru, celebrated IWD on 8 March 2013. All women employees of CABS, as a practice since 2009, voluntarily contributed a sum of Rs 10,000 towards education of two school children who needed financial support. Old clothes, in good condition, were also donated to a blind school.

CEMILAC, Bengaluru

International Women’s Day was celebrated in Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), Bengaluru, on 8 March 2013. Dr Manju Dhoundiyal, Faculty, National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development, Southern Regional Centre, Bangalore, was the Chief Guest.

The function was presided by Smt Santhosam Tamilmani, the first lady of CEMILAC. The session was interactive with a lot of social messages on the emancipation of women. All employees of CEMILAC participated in the event.

DL, Jodhpur

Dr Sudhi Rajiv, Director, KN College, JNVU, Jodhpur, was the Chief Guest of the IWD function held at Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur (DLJ), on 8 March 2013. The Chief Guest emphasised the need of education for women and asserted that Indian women lack decision making capability due to various social reasons. She opined that women need to be self centred and should take decision in their own interest as and when required for their progress. Dr Sudhi also discussed the support being provided by the government to women. Various competitions like rangoli, drama, games and posters, etc., were organised on the day.

Dr SR Vadera, Director, DLJ, presided over the function and highlighted the contributions of women scientists of the laboratory in different fields. Dr (Mrs) Anuradha Bera, Sc D, narrated history, importance and need to celebrate the IWD. Awards and certificates were given by Dr Vadera and the Chief Guest to winners and participants of the different competitions. Mrs Parmeshwari Malodia and Smt Anuja Vyas did compering and Dr Sandhya Songara, Sc C, presented the vote of thanks.

6 May 2013

HEMRL, Pune

High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune, celeberated IWD by organising a talk by Dr (Mrs) Vrushali Khire, Vice Chairperson of Women’s Council, HEMRL. Dr Khire highlighted the importance of IWD. Shri Bikash Bhattacharya, OS and Director, HEMRL, and Chairman, Women’s Council, addressed the gathering and highlighted the contributions and achievements of women in various areas of society. Chief Guest Mrs Ratna Bhattacharya, the first lady of HEMRL, also gave an inspiring address on the occasion. The women employees of HEMRL were divided into 11 groups and brain storming sessions were held on different topics related to womanhood. The outcome of these discussions was compiled in the form of a magazine, Nirbhaya, which was released by Mrs Ratna Bhattacharya. HEMRL ladies participated enthusiastically in a cultural show organised on the occasion showcasing their artistic talents.

NPOL, Kochi

An invited talk on Parenting: The Present Day Challenges by renowned child psychiatrist,

Dr Sitalakshmi George delivering the IWD talk

Dr Sitalakshmi George, MD, DPM, was organised on the occasion. The talk focused on the challenges of parenting in the present day society which is highly influenced by the information technology revolution. She also highlighted the importance of responsible parenting and the critical role played by the parents in shaping the future of their children. Shri S Anantha Narayanan, DS and Director, NPOL, felicitated the orator. A souvenir, Suman 2013, showcasing the achievements of women workforce of NPOL over the last decade was released by the invited speaker.

DRDO Sports Round-up

North Zone Badminton Tournament

DRDO North Zone Badminton tournament was held at Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur (DLJ), during 12-14 March 2013. Nine teams, i.e., Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES), Defence Terrain Research Laboratory, Delhi (DTRL), Defence Institute of Psychological Research, (DIPR), Defence Scientific Information and Documentation Centre, (DESIDOC), all from Delhi; Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (DEAL), Dehradun; DLJ; Snow and Avalanch Study Establishment (SASE), Chandigarh; Defence Materials and Stores Search and Development Establishment, (DMSRDE) Kanpur; and Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior participated in the tournament.

The events played were team championship, open single, open doubles, veteran single, veteran doubles and ladies single and ladies doubles.

In team championship as well as in open single and doubles DLJ was the winner. In the veteran single, CFEES was the winner in single and doubles. In ladies single and doubles, DIPR was the winner.

Air Vice Marshal PP Khandekar, MILIT, Pune, was the Chief Guest of the valedictory function. Dr SR Vadera, Director, DLJ, welcomed the Chief Guest. AVM Kandekar distributed medals and shields to the winners. Shri AK Kachhawaha, Sports Officer, DLJ, gave the vote of thanks.

7May 2013

Conferences/Seminars/Symposia/Training Courses/Meetings

Manpower Development Activities

Young Scientist Meet 2013

High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune, organised Young Scientist Meet (YSM) 2013 at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Auditorium on 15-16 March 2013. The theme of the meet was 'Think Innovative'. The event brought young scientists of DRDO together to understand, appreciate and provide an overall picture of DRDO and facilitated interaction among these young scientific minds for enhancing the team spirit and competitive skills. The meet got an overwhelming response as 200 young DRDO scientists participated enthusiastically. All the events starting from innovative ideas, poster presentation, team building activities, youth concert, interactive quiz and brain storming sessions for futuristic defence technology received tremendous responses from the participants. The programme was inaugurated by Shri TKA Nair, Adviser to the Prime Minister, and Dr VK Saraswat, SA to RM, Secretary Deptt of Defence R&D, and DG DRDO.

In his welcome address Dr G Malakondaiah, DS and CC R&D (HR&M), DRDO HQ, gave basic idea behind organising YSM. In his inaugural address, Shri Nair praised the young scientists and emphasised that innovation and out of box thinking is needed in country like India where resourcs are very limited and society is facing serious problems in the field of health sector, education, food security, safe drinking water, etc. He stressed on realisation of necessity for betterment of mankind and on harmonising the benefits of innovations between individual and society and making the technology affordable. Shri Nair

also laid emphasis on priortising the things because of resources crunch and faster development.

Dr VK Saraswat, the originator of YSM , in his address gave brief introduction on how and why YSM was started. He asked young scientific minds to work hard towards making our society and country more prosperous, safe and secure. He focused on indigenisation and self-reliance and said that research and development should come out of labs and help society. He further added that in future the focus will be on space security, miniaturisation of electronics, nano technology, advance computing, particle weapons, electromagnetic weapons, etc., and young scientist should do specific need-based R&D and focus on development and delivery of highly optimised systems. Dr Saraswat exhorted young scientists to become passionate about their work and not follow the 9 to 5 work culture.

Shri TKA Nair also inaugurated the poster presentation pavilion where posters made by young scientists about current and future work of their respective

Shri Nair and Dr Saraswat showing keen interest in posters presented by young scientists

8 May 2013

labs were displayed. Ten participants presented innovative ideas during the event. Besides Shri Nair and Dr Saraswat, the following eminent scientists also shared their thoughts with the participants. Shri Avinash Chander, DS and CC R&D (MSS) in his address, told about DRDO management. He stressed that youngster needs to take few more challenges. Dr M Annadurai, Project Director, Chandrayan Programme in his address sensitised the young scientists about the role of good planning in execution of complex programmes. He gave detailed idea about the complexities involved in Chandrayan programme and the innovations used to conquer the challenges.

Dr Jayant Narlikar, in his address, emphasised the importance of local arguments in science with illustration such as the travelling salesman problem involving factors of numbers, triangle fallacy which proves an impossible result, naval warfare including how Nelson won the battle of Trafalgar. Shri AK Chakrabarty, former Director, Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, in his address, emphasised on innovation and said that innovation requires a systematic approach.

Dr S Sunderash, DS and CC R&D (ACE&SI) in his address, told about the challenges and experiences during the development of MBT Arjun. A motivational documentary Engima of Ramanujam was also screened to all delegates and dignitaries.

Workshop for Junior Service Officers

A one-day workshop to acquaint junior Service officers with the activities of the Centre for Air Borne Systems (CABS), Bengaluru, was conducted at CABS on 16 March 2013. Service officers of Army, Navy and Air Force from various units of southern region attended the workshop. The workshop had nine lectures followed by visit to various facilities and EMB-1451 AEW&C aircraft. The technical details about the sophisticated AEW&C systems were presented in a simple manner to facilitate understanding by officers with wide background. In addition to the technical lectures, Project Director (Air Force Project Team), gave an overview on user perspective of AEW&C system.

DFRL Golden Jubilee Oration

Prof. (Dr) DN Reddy, Chairman, Recruitment and Assessment Centre (RAC), DRDO, New Delhi, delivered the Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Mysore, Golden Jubilee oration on 28 February 2013 on Agro-based Food Processing Technologies and Equipment to Boost Rural Economy.

In his oration, Prof. Reddy said that agro-based food processing industrial sector is identified as high priority sector in India and has the potential to overcome the malnutrition in the nation. He said that tripling the size of the food industry would generate direct employment for 28 lakh people and indirect employment to the tune of 74 lakh as it is having highest multiplier effect compared to other industry. He stressed the necessity to develop food processing technologies for the farmers. Prof. Reddy also said that institute similar to DFRL should adopt villages and train the farmers on latest food processing technologies to uplift the standard of living in the rural area. He also appreciated the role of DFRL in meeting the food and logistic requirements of the Indian Armed Forces in different operational environment. Prof. Reddy also released a book on Post-harvest Technologies for Tomato Utilisation for Rural Entrepreneurs.

Dr HV Batra, Director, DFRL, highlighted the necessity for development of high energy, low volume, instant and ready-to-eat food products as army men find it difficult to

L to R: Dr Batra, Prof. Reddy and Dr Radhakrishna releasing ready-to-eat food products developed by DFRL

9May 2013

carry heavy load of food during military operations. He also congratulated the scientific fraternity of DFRL for development of new products.The function ended with vote of thanks by Dr K Radhakrishna, Sc G, DFRL.

Seminar on Night Fighting Capability

“There is a need to change the approach from ‘acquiring technology’ to ‘development of technology’ in order to achieve desired level of indigenisation. The aim should be to equip the Indian Armed forces with state-of-the-art equipment to bring them at par with the world leaders”, said Shri Jitendra Singh hon’ble Raksha Rajya Mantri (RRM), while inaugurating a two-day seminar on Night Fighting Capability (NFC) on 25 April 2013 at Kothari Auditorium at DRDO Bhavan, New Delhi. Hon'ble RRM was addressing senior officials from armed forces, production agencies, industry from India and abroad, and scientists from DRDO and academia. The seminar was organised by the Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE), Dehradun.

Appreciating the strides made in indigenous design and development and production of equipment to enhance NFC, Shri Jitendra Singh emphasised on self-reliance in the field of instrumentation and to reduce the import content to a minimum. He also emphasised on the need of greater synergy among different stakeholders,

i.e., DRDO, public sector and private industry in the process of development.

Stressing on the need to further improve indigenous capabilities in this area, he said, “We are facing incursions from across the land borders and there is need to have early warning systems to handle such situations more effectively”. A monograph, Night Vision and Electro-Optics Technology Review brought out by IRDE, was also released by the hon’ble RRM.

Dr VK Saraswat, SA to RM, highlighted the achievements of DRDO in the field of EO. He also mentioned about the development of thermal imaging-based Commander’s Sight for T-72 and T-90 tanks as well as for infantry fighting vehicles BMPs. Mentioning about the progress made by IRDE in this critical area, he gave example of recently developed Integrated Multi-Functional Sight that weighs within 3.5 kg, as compared to the 1st generation devices of similar nature, which weighed around 55 kg. DRDO should collaborate with industry to ensure timely delivery of these to the armed forces. Collaboration with the foreign partners is also vital in a few areas for enhancement of technology levels, Dr Saraswat added further.

Emphasising the need to strengthen manufacturing infrastructure in the country, he said that the country had to gear up to produce the advanced thermal detectors indigenously. “Our biggest weakness is the availability

Shri Jitendra Singh, hon'ble RRM (centre) releasing monograph on Night Vision and Electro-Optics Technology Review

10 May 2013

of infrared imaging detector fabrication facilities. In 80s we were chasing a sum of 60 crores (to establish this facility), in 90s, we were chasing a sum of 100 crores and in 2000s we were chasing the sum of 1000 crores. There is a need to take decision in this regard to set up this facility with foreign collaboration, in order to fill this vital technology gap”, opined Dr Saraswat. Stressing upon the need to work together with synergy, he said, "I invite the industry partners, scientists, and academicians to work together to overcome these gaps so that dependence on imports can be minimised”. Delivering the keynote address, Lt Gen SK Singh, Vice Chief of Army Staff, briefed about the army acquisition plans for the next decade and expected DRDO to match the expectations of the armed forces. The partnership of private industry could be crucial, he emphasised. “The Services are looking for innovative technological solutions to stay ahead of their adversaries. Sensor fusion in EO/IR bands and network centric operations will be the order of the day in future military operations”, he added further.

In his special address, Shri Anil Kumar, CMD, BEL, put forth the industry perspective and assured that BEL is always ready to support the indigenisation efforts

and will deliver the quality instruments in time to the armed forces. He stressed the need to strengthen the technology and manufacturing base in the country and said that private industry will come forward and invest when there is enough market opportunity created by the forces through deployment of indigenous equipment. The seminar aimed at familiarising armed forces with the capabilities of DRDO in this field and understanding their present and future requirements. Eight foreign firms from France, Belgium, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands and USA participated and exhibited their products in the seminar. One session of the seminar was dedicated to discuss the DRDO R&D roadmap on requirements of armed forces.

Earlier, Shri Avinash Chander, DS and CC R&D (MSS), DRDO HQ, informed that the seminar was being attended by nearly 350 delegates including about 100 from Services, 46 from public sector, 40 from Indian industries, 31 foreign delegates, and other delegates from various government and DRDO laboratories. In one session of the seminar, Dr AK Gupta, Director, IRDE, and other IRDE scientists presented the details and status of different EO/IR technologies with respect to world status. In another session, industry in this field presented their concerns and role they could play in equipping the forces appropriately. A panel discussion was also held to draw a roadmap and give its recommendations to enhance the night fighting capability of armed forces.

An exhibition of the night vision equipment developed by DRDO and produced by BEL, Ordinance factories and private partners was also organised.

Workshop on Communication Skills

Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi, organised a workshop on English Communication Skills during 12-14 March 2013. The workshop was aimed at strengthening the

Dr Saraswat and RRM Shri Jitendra Singh addressing the conference

11May 2013

communication skills of the employees of NPOL. Mrs Mary Mathew George, Vivekananda English Training Academy was the resource person.

Workshop on Interpersonal Relationship and Team Building

Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE), Balasore, conducted a workshop on Interpersonal Relationship and Team Building at Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam, during 21-22 March 2013 for the technical officers and

Enterprises, Cuttack, at PXE, Balasore, on 15 March 2013. Fifty participants from different industries attended the meeting. Shri R Appavuraj, Director, PXE, welcomed the participants. Senior scientists of PXE discussed various activities of PXE and requirements of different instruments, tools and machinery. Shri TK Biswal, Sc F, presented the vote of thanks.

SASE Research Council Meet

Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), Chandigarh, organised its Research Council Meet at RDC SASE, Chandigarh, on 16 March 2013 under the chairmanship of Prof. GB Pant, an eminent meteorologist, former Director IITM, Pune, and visiting Prof. School of Environment and Natural Resource, Doon University, Dehradun. In his inaugural address Shri A Ganju, Director, SASE, welcomed the members and explained the activities of the establishment. He emphasised the importance of Research Council to the laboratory in taking future course of action for further improvement in SASE's roadmap.

Presentations were made by the Divisional Heads to the Council highlighting the work being carried out in different projects and futuristic plans. After going through the presentations, the members gave various inputs/suggestions in different areas. In his concluding remarks, the Chairman summarised the recommendations made by the members.

Research Council meeting of SASE in progress

Release of course material

staff of NSTL. Shri YSR Prasada Rao, Sc F, NSTL, inaugurated the workshop. Major thrust was given on team building concepts and practices, attitude, leadership development, transactional analysis and fundamental interpersonal relations orientation behaviour. These were dealt in details by Dr AK Sannigrahi, Sc F, and Dr PK Das Gupta, Sc F. Participants assessed their capabilities on different aspects in relation to development of interpersonal relationship and team building.

Vendor Development-cum-Buyer-Seller Interaction Meet

A vender development-cum-buyer-seller interaction meet with DRDO was organised by Micro, Small and Medium

12 May 2013

Personnel News

Appointments

Director ECS, DRDO HQ

Shri Hari Babu Srivastava, Sc G, took over as Director of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS), DRDO HQ, wef 18 April 2013. An alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and IIT Kanpur, he joined DRDO at Instruments Research

and Development Establishment (IRDE), Dehradun, on 14 August 1984 as Sc B and rose to become Sc G in 2008. He specialised as a control engineer with his first assignment on development of control system for stabilized sights for Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun Mk I. He also has to his credit the control system design of the first indigenously developed and mass produced stabilised panoramic sight. As System Designer, Project Director and Divisional Head, he led the development of a number of technologies of electro-optical fire control systems, line of sight stabilization, ballistic computation, embedded electronics, weapon slaving, fire control, etc. for MBT Arjun Mk I. These technologies were successfully employed to develop Electro-Optical Fire Control Systems (EOFCS) for naval ships (already in service with Indian Navy), Infantry Combat Vehicle Abhay and gimbaled laser seeker for air dropped bombs. A technology demonstrator for infrared search and track system was also developed.

At IRDE, he has also worked as the Head, Servo Systems Division, Chief Designer of Fire Control System Design Centre and Group Director of the Directorate of Fire Control Systems. As Group Director, he led the teams to complete development of EOFCS for MBT Arjun Mk II, delivered three Stabilized EOFCS to Indian Navy, contributed to NAMICA programme and developed three Surveillance Sights for multiple applications. He

also launched technology initiatives to develop line of sight stabilization technology and dual mode (CCD+IIR) gimbaled seekers for missile application.

Shri Shrivastav has authored 25 technical papers in various national and international refereed journals and seminar/conference proceedings, apart from numerous internal DRDO/IRDE reports. He has co-edited a DRDO monograph on Night Vision and Electro-Optics Technology Review. He is life member of Optical Society of India, Instrument Society of India and Computer Society of India. He is a recipient of DRDO Cash prize, DRDO Technology Group Award and Laboratory Technology Group Award.

Director, DMRL, Hyderabad

Dr Amol A Gokhale, Outstanding Scientist, has been appointed Director, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), Hyderabad. Dr Gokhale obtained BTech in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 1978, and MS and PhD in Metallurgical

Engineering, from the University of Pittsburgh, USA, in 1980 and 1985, respectively, specialising in the area of solidification processing.

He joined DMRL, Hyderabad, in 1985 as Sc C, and rose to the position of Sc H in July 2010. Over the last 25 years, Dr Gokhale has been involved in the development of light alloy cast and wrought products. His early research on the development of Al-Li alloys resulted in applications in INSAT II programme. He led a collaborative effort to produce large size Al-Li alloy clad sheets, and then to heat treat and deep form components in collaboration with Aeronautical Development Agency and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for LCA programme. He also led teams of scientists in the development of

13May 2013

forged and rolled magnesium alloys for INSAT III, and complex Al-Li alloy castings for torpedo programmes. Since 2004, he has been leading research projects on aluminium-based foams for shock, blast and sound absorption, laser additive manufacturing of stainless steels, super alloys and functionally graded materials, and joint programmes on nickel and titanium foams. Aluminium foam, developed by his team at DMRL and evaluated by automotive companies and DRDO laboratories, has shown great promise for crash and blast absorption applications. Ni foams developed by his team are being actively considered for applications in the space and other civilian sectors.

For the past few years, Dr Gokhale is working on the development of high temperature stable materials. In a short period, his team has developed laboratory scale ZrB2-SiC composite discs, metal honeycomb and ceramic insulation-based thermal protection system modules, process to purify niobium metal and various protective coatings for high emissivity and protection from oxidation.

At DMRL, Dr Gokhale led the Solidification Technology Division, the Informatics and Documentation Division, the Extractive Technology Division, and the Administration Division. During last five years, he has supported the efforts to transfer DMRL-developed Ti sponge technology to public sector unit KMML in Kerala.For his various technical contributions, Dr Gokhale received the Binani Gold Medal of the Indian Institute of Metals (with Dr G Madhusudhan Reddy) in 1993, the National Research and Development Corporation Technology Innovation Award (with Dr RK Singh) in 1994, the DM Panthaki Award from the Indian Institute of Welding (with Dr G Madhusudhan Reddy) in 1999, the National Metallurgists’ Day Metallurgist of the Year Award by the Ministry of Steel in 2000, the DRDO Scientist of the Year Award in 2008 and the GD Birla Gold Medal from the Indian Institute of Metals in 2010.

Dr Gokhale is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, life member of the Indian Institute of

Metals (and vice chairman of the Hyderabad chapter), Materials Research Society of India and the Institute of Indian Foundrymen, and a Light Alloys panel member of the Bureau of Indian Standards, Govt. of India. He has guided four PhD theses, and has 90 publications to his credit.

Director, RCI, Hyderabad

Shri G Satheesh Reddy, Outstanding Scientist, has been appointed Director, Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, wef 1 May 2013. Shri Reddy obtained BTech in Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) from Jawaharlal

Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Ananthapur, and MS (by Research) in ECE from JNTU, Hyderabad. He joined DRDO in July 1986 as Sc B and has been serving in RCI right from the inception of the establishment and gained vast experience in the areas of avionics and missile systems. He is a navigation expert with more than 25 years of experience and has contributed in the development of inertial sensors and systems, satellite navigation, embedded computers, real-time software, guidance and control technologies along with associated avionics systems. He has also envisioned the futuristic requirements and accelerated the focussed R&D in critical technologies.

Under his leadership, advanced indigenous products and variety of navigation systems based on DTG, FOG, RLG and MEMS have been produced and delivered to various programmes like Agni variants, Air Defence, B-05, Akash, BrahMos, Astra, Prithvi, Dhanush, Prahaar, Naval Ships of Indian Defence. He has spear headed the critical technologies ranging from high accuracy inertial sensors to high dynamics SATNAV receivers, robust navigation algorithms, gyro-compassing, in-flight, in-sailing, transfer alignment and calibration schemes. He has also architected the inertial navigation, SATNAV Baro-inertial data fusion using Kalman Filter and accurate INS-SATNAV hybrid navigation system for

14 May 2013

missile applications and has been pivotal in building the country’s indigenous multi satellite constellation receiver for high dynamics applications. He propelled the industries in both public and private sectors to gear-up, establish and produce the state-of-the-art systems, indigenously. He also established a state-of-the-art Navigation and Embedded Computer Complex with most modern infrastructure, on par with laboratories of the advanced nations, to cater for the futuristic research and development.

For his technological achievements and vital contributions to the field of aeronautics and aerospace engineering, various professional bodies/societies have honoured him as academician and inducted him into their institution. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering; the Institution of Engineering and Technology, United Kingdom, Institution of Engineers (India) (FIE), Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers, Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, USA, Royal Institution of Navigation, London; full time Academy Member of the prestigious Russian Academy of Navigation and Motion Control (FMANACUD) and also a Senior Member of IEEE.

Recognising his innovative efforts in the country, he has been conferred with many awards and has been felicitated extensively. Some of the important honours and recognitions bestowed on him are: Young Scientist Award for modelling of inertial sensors; Agni Award for Excellence in Self Reliance-2006 as a team leader; DRDO Scientist of the Year Award-2010; Outstanding Engineer Award by the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, BV Baliga Memorial Award by the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers for 2012; Prof Yashwant Rao Kelkar Yuva Puraskar by the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in recognition of his efforts for making country self-reliant in the area of navigation systems for defence applications; DRDO Performance Excellence Award (twice) for contributions towards successful BrahMos and Dhanush missions; Path Breaking

Research/Outstanding Technology Development Award (twice) as a team member for successful Air Defence (AD) and Agni missions; Systems Society of India Vikram Award for contribution to real-life systems of national importance for 2012; Aeronautical Society of India Dr Biren Roy Space Science and Design Award for contributions to the growth of Aerospace and Navigation Sciences for 2012; and Astronautical Society of India Rocketry Award for contributions to rocket sciences and related technologies for 2010.

He is the Vice Chairman of the Aeronautical Society of India, Hyderabad, and founder Vice President of the Sensors Research Society, India. Shri Reddy has more than 20 national and international publications to his credit and is member of numerous academic council, advisory committee and governing bodies. He also played a vital role in conducting many national and international conferences.

Awards

AeSI’s Indigenisation of Aeronautical Equipment Award

Shri Shirish Kale, Sc F, Regional Director, RCMA (F&F), CEMILAC, and Shri MS Velpari, GM, Development, HAL, jointly received AeSI’s Indigenisation of Aeronautical Equipment Award for the year 2012 for developing technology for the manufacturing of Shape Memory

Shri Shirish Kale receiving the award from Shri MM Pallam Raju

15May 2013

NMRL, Ambernath

Shri Vijay M Nimbalkar, Sc C, has been awarded PhD by the Institute of Chemical Technology, University of Mumbai, for his thesis entitled Nano-crystalline TiB2 Particulate Reinforced Al Alloy Metal Matrix Composites.

Alloys (SMA) and SMA Ferrule Rings for indigenous LCA programme. The award was presented by hon'ble Minister of HRD Shri MM Pallam Raju.

National Woman Bio Scientist Award

Dr Rita Singh, Sc E, Defence Laboratory (DL), Jodhpur, has been conferred the National Woman Bio Scientist Award by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of S&T on the occasion of International Women's Day on 8 March 2013.

INMAS, Delhi

Dr Rakesh Kumar Sharma, Sc G, Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Delhi, has

Higher Qualification Acquired

been elected as a Fellow of Society of Pharmaceutical Education and Research during the Annual Conference of SPER held at Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, on 9 March 2013.

NATIONAL SAFETY WEEK CELEBRATIONS

ITR, Chandipur Shri G Panda was felicitated as Best Safety Monitor of the Range for 2012-13.

Two lectures on Overview of Safety Management and Intelligent Maintenance were delivered by professors from IIT, Kharagpur, on the occasion. Shri RK Behera, Chairman, Safety Committee, gave the welcome address. Dr SK Sahu, Secretary, Safety Committee, presented the vote of thanks. Safety Day promotional materials, received from NSC, were distributed among all the range personnel.

NPOL, Kochi

Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi, organised 42nd National Safety Week to promote safety awareness among employees. As part of the campaign, competitions such as essay writing, innovative ideas and cartoon drawing were conducted. The celebrations started with flag hoisting by senior most technician, safety day pledge and a live mock drill on fire

Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, celebrated 42nd National Safety Day on 4 March 2013. Shri MVKV Prasad, Director, ITR, administrated the safety pledge to all employees of the range. Shri MV Bhaskarachary, Associate Director, and Shri PC Routray, Chairman, Range Safety Council, highlighted the need for safety measures in the range and emergency preparedness. The Directorate of EOTS was given Annual Safety Rolling Trophy for the best performance in implementing safety, health and environmentalo measures.

Director, ITR, administering safety and health pledge

ISSN:0971-4391

Visits to DRDO Labs/Estts

ARDE, Pune

Shri TKA Nair, Advisor to PM, on 15 March 2013. Shri Anil M datar, OS and Director, Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune, briefed the visitor about the activities of ARDE. Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher System (MBRLS) and its operations were demonstrated to Shri Nair at Tarmac. Firing demonstration for the 5.56 mm INSAS rifle,

CVRDE, Chennai

Maj Gen PM Hariz, SM, VSM, ADGMF and Maj Gen Rajiv Narayanan, VSM, ADG MO (B) designate, on 7 March 2013. The visitors were briefed about the activities of CVRDE.

5.56 mm Joint Venture Protective Carbine (JVPC), 40 mm Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) with INSAS rifle and 84 mm LWL developed by ARDE was also shown to the visitor.

Shri Datar briefing Shri Nair about ARDE’s productMaj Gen PM Hariz and Maj Gen Rajiv Narayanan

reviewing the features of CCPT vehicle

fighting. The week concluded with a series of enlightening events. The Chief Guest, Shri Appavuraj, Director, PXE, Chandipur, shared his experiences on safety issues and

their solutions in the working environment and presented prizes to the winners of the various competitions. Dr CVK Prasada Rao, Associate Director, NPOL, emphasised the significance of safety measures including technical trials at sea. Dr Reji John, Chairman, Safety Committee, highlighted the significance and relevance of safety

measures in the working place. This was followed by a presentation on Basic Life Support Skills by Major (Dr) Sajith Surendran, Medical Officer, NPOL, and a quiz on safety.