Kalam calls for evolution of Nat Aeronautics Policy

Bangalore, Dec 18: A P J Abdul Kalam today stressed the need to evolve National Aerospace Policy soon to usher in an era of high technology and high skill industry environment to create assets, wealth and employment in the country.

Inaugurating a three day International Conference on trends in Product Lifecycle Modeling, Simulation and Synthesis PLMSS-2006 here he said the policy was now in advance stage of approval and he would also try to accelerate further to ensure its clearance. Space systems, missile and aeronautics groups had demonstrated technology excellence in their products through networking with academic institutes, industries and the government, he added.

He said there were more than three lakh engineers and technicians with infrastructure of more than Rs 20000 crore. There was a strong mission management culture and committed partnership. With this national strength and opportunity for larger demand in aerospace systems and export potential, a large business for industries was in front of us.

He also stressed that with experience of many complex missions establishing tremendous disciplinary skills, technology and infrastructure, collaborative framework and human expertise, time had come for India to take up missions, Technologies in Aeronautics space and missile were converging. This convergence would lead to a cost effective high quality design, development and production of various types of aerospace systems such as 150 seater passenger jet, supersonic unmanned combat aircraft, hypersonic reusable missile and hyperplane and planetary missions including manned missions for energy and water, he felt.

Dr Kalam hoped that India, with it vast infrastructure and humanresource in the aerospace sector, could definitely launch such missionswith international partnership. This would require a virtualcollaborative platform not only among the functional disciplines butalso among the participating institutions in the country and abroad, heobserved.

He suggested formation of a aerospace grid to connectall aerospace institutions not only within the country, even theaerospace partner countries had to be connected. The grid, connectinginstitutions such as the ADA, HAL, NAL, DRDO laboratories in a highbandwidth network along with the hundreds of work centres, would becomethe foundation for the establishing the virtual collaborative designcentre or platform with full fledged concept to reality product lifecycle management environment for the development of any type ofaircraft or any type fighters and any type of helicopters in a muchfaster with quality in a cost effective manner.

ScientificAdvisor to Defence Minister M Natarajan, in his presidential address,said Defence Research Develoment Organisation, had drawn up a clearroadmap to meet aspirations of the country for future. The institutionhad achieved around 45 per cent of indigenisation and development asagainst the expected 70 per cent by progressing satisfactorily. TheDRDO budget was also increasing simultaneously and it was expected tobe around Rs 40,000 crores in the 11th five year plan and Rs 55000crores in the 12th plan. These budgets were aimed at ensuring supply ofvarious products such as Light Combat Aircraft for defence forces,Electronic warfare systems and combat equipment. The institution wasalso enlisting the active participation by the private sector withregard to manufacturing of defence products in a big way, he added.

UNI