The Hindu Business Line : DRDO to make missiles lighter, cost-effective

Composite material, which can withstand very high temperatures and are robust, finds application in aerospace, the light combat aircraft and satellites.

M. Somasekhar

Hyderabad, Sept. 24 With an intention to make the country’s missiles lighter, cost-effective and possess greater hit power, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) is augmenting its composite materials facilities and capabilities.

An independent centre for composite testing and evaluation is being set up at the Hyderabad-based Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), the premier lab guiding the long range missile — Agni programme and providing key technology inputs to other missiles.

ASL already has composites production centre (Comproc), which fabricates the lightweight material for Agni and other missiles. “In 6-7 years, we want to make all the stages of the Agni missile composite structured,” said Mr Avinash Chander, Director of the Laboratory under DRDO.

“At present, the payload and a small portion (nose tip) of Agni is made of composites, while the rest is metallic. Progressively, we will make the airframe, the upper stages and payload completely composite,” he told Business Line. There is lot of interest from the private sector in the composites arena and no dearth of raw materials, he added. Composite material, which can withstand very high temperatures and are robust, finds application in aerospace, the light combat aircraft and satellites.

The ASL provides composites and solid propulsion systems to most missiles such as Prithvi, Akash, Nag and Astra, Mr Chander said.Another initiative taken up by ASL is in the area of non-destructive evaluation of materials. This would help in assessing the health of the missile systems and components.

Cost-effective

Since we cannot bring these back from the field, the testing done through NDE tools and methods on site would make it cost-effective, he added.

These techniques are useful in detecting degradation of materials, cracks or other minor defects, which can reduce the life of the missile or make it ineffective.

Typically, ultrasound and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques are used. Asked about Agni-3, the long-range, surface to surface missile, Mr Chander said it has been cleared for induction into the Defence forces.

“We will do user trials when required, but it is ready for manufacture and induction,” he said. The missile was tested thrice between July 2006 to May 2008, with the first being a failure.

On Agni-V, he said the development is progressing.

“We can test it in two to two and half years. Two out of three stages will be composite, which will reduce its weight and increase range,” he added.

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