Army accepts BrahMos' precision, says Antony

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 31 (UNI) The Indian Army has recognised the efficiency and precision of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile manufactured in the country by the Brahmos Aerospace, Defence Minister A K Antony said today.

Accepting the documents of the Kerala HiTech Industries Ltd (KELTEC) for the Defence Ministry from Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan for assembling the BrahMos missiles here, he said the missile, developed and manufactured jointly by India and Russia, was the fastest in the world.

It had never failed to hit its target and was in the forefront for its precision, he said.

The second unit here, the first one being in Hyderabad, would cater to the demands of the Indian armed forces.

He said the first production Centre under the Ministry of Defence in the state would pave for unprecedented industrial development in the state.

The BrahMos production centre would attract huge investment to the state, he said, adding the unit would be expanded, if it produced the desired result in two years.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Achuthanandan said the LDF Government's policy was to revive the sick Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and the handing over of KELTEC to the Defence Ministry proved to be yet another milestone.

He said with the government's sincere efforts it had made 24 PSUs into profit-making firms within 18 months.

Kerala Industries Minister Elamaram Karim, ISRO Chief Madhavan Nair and astronaut Rakesh Sharma, were among those, who attended the function.

UNI