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Tap high-power lasers for missile defence: President

Our Bureau

NEW DELHI, Dec. 13

THE President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, has suggested a national-level programme for exploiting the potential of high-power lasers for missile defence to strengthen the country's deterrence capabilities.

He said: ``We should pursue this critical technology, which enables directing the enormous energy generated by lasers for specific applications with a high degree of commitment to `self-reliance'.''

Inaugurating a national laser symposium here on Wednesday, the President said it was very important for India to evolve a national programme involving coordination of all available expertise and resources in the missile defence applications of high-power lasers because it could well influence the world power balance equation of the future.

Some novel applications of high-power lasers for possible nuclear waste clean-up or oil-spill clean-up can prove very significant in the coming years. Similarly, the remote powering of satellites using lasers is an exciting future application. These are areas, where Indian scientists must soon reach world-class levels of proficiency, he said.

Lasers also appear to offer attractive new options of electro-optical counter measures (EOCM), for low-intensity conflicts such as counter-insurgency operations, Mr Narayanan said. The three-day symposium and exhibition is being jointly organised by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Delving on the wide range of civilian applications of lasers in the developed countries, Mr Narayanan said, ``Somehow, in India, one is yet to witness any significant use of lasers, except in medical field and the common laser pointer for presentations. Most of the common lasers are still imported.''

It is important, therefore, to build a technology base in the country for the basic materials and components needed for laser technology. For this, close cooperation between university researchers, R&D scientists and the industry is very important, the P resident said.

A national programme for development of lasers is being pursued in coordination with the Centre for Advanced Technology (CAT), Indore, a DAE Institution.

The former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr R. Chidambaram, also spoke about the support and initiatives taken by the DAE. Two of the important products developed indigenously are the carbondioxide and yag medical lasers from CAT and th e eye laser `Drishti' by the DRDO laser laboratory `LASTEC'.

Pic.: The President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, with Dr R. Chidambaram, former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, at the national laser symposium in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Picture by Kamal Narang