India looks to double missile production to 100 per month

Hyderabad, Mar 16: India is looking to double missile production to 100 per month, a senior defence official said here today.

Distinguished scientist and Director of Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), K Jayaraman said Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, is currently producing 50-60 indigenously-developed Akash missile per month.

Hyderabad-based DRDL is a multi-disciplinary missile system laboratory with thrust on design, development and flight evaluation of various types of missile systems for armed forces. "...the Government is insisting that we (BDL, which is the lead integrator of missiles in the country) should increase production capacity rate to 100 per month," he said at a public session on 'Telangana Moving Forward Through Innovation and Entrepreneurship' by CII.

Stressing the need for industry participation to step up production, Jayaraman said it has been recommended to the Government to identify a "large industry" which can be lead integrator of missiles and 50-60 medium-scaled industries on the sub-systems front.

Many countries, including those in South America, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, have expressed interest to procure Akash and BrahMos missiles, he said, adding, the government is in process of formulating a policy on exports in this regard. "We should first meet requirements of our services (armed forces), then only we can export," Jayaraman said.

Jayaraman said the new generation anti-radiation missile would be ground-tested in two months. "Basically, it (the anti-radiation missile) is air-launched against the enemy radar emitting targets," he added.

PTI