PTI

NEW DELHI AFTER the successful launch of Agni-5 Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), India is all set to develop reusable rockets which will combine the technologies of both ballistic and cruise missiles.

As part of plans to develop reusable ballistic missiles, Defence Research and Development Organisation will test indigenously developed scram jet engine next year, DRDO Chief V K Saraswat said in an interview to Doordarshan.

“We have propulsion technology, we have re-entry technologies, we have the technology which can take a re-entry system which will deliver a payload and have yet another re-entry system which will bring the missile back when it re-enters the atmosphere on its return journey,” he said. “We have demonstrated the performance of a scram jet engine operating at Mach six speed (six times the speed of sound),” he said.

On the range of Agni-5 missile which was scuccessfully test-fired recently off Odisha coast, the DRDO chief said with moderate modifications, “it can be extended to any range which is of our interest.” On technological capability available with the agency, he said, “DRDO has built the necessary technologies, production infrastructure and design capability for developing a booster or a sustainer..
We have the capability to develop a re-entry nose cone which can withstand higher temperature and velocity.” Meanwhile, The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) are jointly developing new Active Sonar classifiers for Indian submarines which will help the navy differentiate between enemy submarines and friendly ones and the sophisticated equipment will undergo trials by the end of this year.

“We have a technician from BEL who is stationed at IIT Delhi right now who will take the technology from us. We are testing it for them. They will incorporate our system in their existing Sonar technology and then we are hoping by the end of this year they will go in for trials of the system,” said Prof Rajendra Bahl of Centre for Applied Research Electronics at IIT Delhi.

Prof. Bahl along with Lt.

Cdr Akshay R Prabhu and Prof. Arun Kumar have developed this technology which will help the Naval force make a concrete difference between friendly and hostile submarines while keeping a vigil.

“Our department has been working on Defence-oriented projects and we also train students from the Navy and DRDO.