IT Correspondent
Mumbai, Oct 29:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Chandigarh and reviewed the products being developed by TBRL on Thursday.
During the visit, TBRL Director Prateek Kishore, briefed Singh about the products developed by the laboratory and many critical technologies on which the work is in process. Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Secretary, Department of Defence R and D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy and other senior civil and military officials were present, an official statement said.
Addressing over 500 scientists and officials of DRDO, Singh lauded TBRL, which started as a two-room facility, for becoming an important R&D establishment which has been providing crucial defence technologies. He commended the role of the laboratory in design and development of Multi-Mode Hand Grenade (MMHG), the first munition manufactured by the private sector for the Armed Forces, which was handed over to the Indian Army in the presence of Singh in August this year. The grenade has achieved a functional reliability of more than 99.5 per cent in production. He termed MMHG as world class which reflects the capabilities of TBRL and the scientists.
Lauding DRDO for developing systems at par with international standards, Singh also mentioned about the Bund Blasting Device Mark II, designed and developed by TBRL, which was handed over to the Indian Army in his presence earlier this month. The device is used to reduce the height of Ditch-cum-Bund obstacles to enhance the mobility of mechanised infantry during wartime.
Singh also listed out other achievements of TBRL, including reaching an advanced level of development of 4 th generation electronic fuses which will be contemporary as well as safer and more reliable and development of Baffle Range of just 20 acres from 500 acres that will provide full training of the troops using less land.
Singh added that many reforms have been undertaken by the Government to increase the participation of the private sector. These include introduction of new provisions under Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020; DRDO’s initiative to involve the industry from the initial stages of development of systems, free of cost Transfer of Technology by DRDO and availability of its patents to the industry.
While stressing on the need to develop Indian Standards, he appreciated the fact that Indian Standard has been promulgated for the testing of Bullet Resistant Jacket, with TBRL playing a key role in its manufacturing. “Indian Standards for design, development and methodology are being developed for other protective systems and gears. Test methodologies have been standardised for evaluation of Boot Anti-Mine Infantry, Boot Anti-Mine Engineers, Mine Protected Vehicles and Gears etc. Such Indian standards will certainly help the Indian industry to not only benchmark the product against threats, but also help them compete with foreign manufacturers,” he added.
“A research and development institution like TBRL should aim to develop partnerships with academic institutions on a long-term basis. On one hand, the academic institution will get to work on the core technological problems and scientists and technologists will be prepared for better employability. On the other, R and D institutions will get the emphasis on conversion into the actual product by moving from the theoretical analysis. It will be a win-win situation for both and will boost the defence ecosystem of the country,” Singh said.
Singh also inaugurated the Augmented Environmental Test facility. The technology for TRBL-developed warhead for Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) Mk-II was also handed over to Economic Explosives Limited, based Nagpur in Maharashtra on the occasion.
