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M. Somasekhar

Tenali (AP), Feb 3

India has embarked on project BrahMos-2, which will see the design and development of hypersonic missiles, according to Dr A. Sivathanu Pillai, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BrahMos Aerospace.

The project launched jointly with Russia, under BrahMos, will see more than 20 Russian institutes and industry and a bigger number of Indian industry participating.

The hypersonic missiles, will fly at Mach 5-7 speeds ( one Mach is equivalent to velocity of sound or 330 metres per second), Dr Pillai told Business Line here.

Already joint teams from India and Russia have started working on designing different versions of the missiles. The project will be of five-year duration.

Both the Indian and the Russian Government have assured adequate funding and support, he said.

The initiative has come in the wake of the superb success of the BrahMos project, launched in 1999. The supersonic BrahMos missile developed with speeds of Mach 2.8 has already got orders from the Indian Navy and Army.

Production facilities are being geared up to meet the orders from India as well as future exports, Dr Pillai said.

BrahMos missile is now available for launch from multiple platforms which include ship to ship, land to ship and land to land.

Further, the submarine version is ready but the platform (submarine) was not ready. Similar was the case with the Air Force.

Efforts are on to use the TU 142, a reconnaisance aircraft with he Navy for trials soon.

Ultimately, this version would be integrated with the Sukhoi SU 32 aircraft, the BrahMos Chief said.

Earlier, Dr Pillai received the 16th Dr Y. Nayudamma Award from the Chairman and Managing Director of the KCP Group, Mr V.L. Dutt at a function in this coastal town on Saturday.

Mr P Vishnumurthy, President of the Nayudamma Trust, read his citation and listed the activities. Mr Ratheish Nayudamma, Managing Director, AP Tanneries Ltd, recollected Dr Nayudamma’s contributions to leather technologies and indigenous technologies on the occasion.

In his annual lecture, Dr Pillai said, the country had to focus on emerging as a globally-competitive, technology power. It had the manpower and wherewithal to do so in the near future.

Giving an example of the contribution of Dr Nayudamma, he said in leather technology, the country had emerged as a major global power with export of $2.5 billion. However, China has overtaken us with $4 billion and that too by getting help from Indian technology. We should strive to get back the leadership by increasing exports to $7 billion by 2010, he added.

Dr Pillai felt that the near future would see the convergence of info-bio nano technologies. Luckily, India has the potential, but needs a concerted and big mission projects to be at the forefront of these technologies, which will shape our future.

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