Women’s Day Special: Akash Missile System propelled by BEL’s women power
Bengaluru, March 7: This piece of news should inspire Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is pushing for Naari Shakthi (women power) to propel India's growth.
The Akash Missile System (AMS), under the command of the Indian Air Force (IAF) now, saw women playing significant roles during various stages of its development and trials, leading to its induction. These go-getters from Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), have proven that they are on par with men, who hitherto hogged all the limelight.
During an interaction with OneIndia, on the eve of International Women's Day, the women who powered the AMS were univocal in their views that BEL always gave its women employees and executives challenging assignments to prove their worth.'
As a result, the mighty women brigade of BEL matched men on all the domains, be it in Design, Project Management, Procurement, Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, Testing and Customer Support.
In addition to their large representation from Bengaluru units, women from BEL's Ghaziabad, Panchkula and Chennai wings too contributed significantly to the success of AMS.
Role of women in Akash project
The
IAF
has
inducted
two
Squadrons
of
AMS
and
are
likely
to
procure
additional
seven
more
squadrons,
making
it
a
clear
winner
in
the
Make
in
India
mission.
The
women
workforce
from
BEL
played
a
key
role
in
the
following
areas:
•
Development
of
mission-critical
software
for
combat
vehicles.
•
Qualification
testing
of
radars
and
command
centers.
•
Rigorous
performance
validation
of
missile
system
for
interface
and
integrated
functions.
•
Integration
testing
of
AMS
for
various
complex
combat
scenarios.
•
Calibration
and
accuracy
monitoring
of
various
technical
parameters
with
live
flying.
•
Firing
trials
to
validate
the
performance
of
the
ground
systems
and
missiles.
•
Installation,
commissioning
and
training
the
user
on
operation
and
maintenance
of
AMS.
•
Customer
support.
The women executives were led by N Manjula Devi, Deputy General Manager, Testing. The team was involved in the planning and execution of flight trials of Akash in close cordination with the customer representatives and Design agencies.
Nataraj Krishnappa, General Manager (Missile Systems), BEL, told OneIndia that the women team members were involved in many complex activities of AMS.
"During the finalization of the critical flight path and post-flight data analysis, these women had to be in remote locations. Sometimes, the job demanded them to be present during odd hours and even in hostile environmental conditions. I am happy that the team commanded by Manjula did a commendable job. They were successful in the completion of Site Acceptance Test, installation and commissioning of AMS at the user site," says Nataraj.
Team leader had to outsource some work at home
For
Manjula,
working
in
the
Akash
project
is
the
most
satisfying
part
of
her
career
at
BEL.
"Firstly,
because
AMS
aids
our
defense
forces
to
protect
our
county.
Secondly,
it
is
a
complex,
first
of
its
kind
in
India
to
be
indigenously
designed
and
developed.
Working
in
Akash
project
is
very
exciting
as
every
activity
is
a
first-time
challenge,"
says
Manjula,
a
mother
of
two.
She admits that managing work-life balance was a huge challenge for her. "I am lucky that I got good support from my family. We outsourced certain routine and trivial activities on the home front, which enabled me to undertake frequent outstation assignments, during the project execution phase," says Manjula.
Witnessing Akash hitting the target thrilled her
The
missile's
firing
trials
were
a
real
test
for
Manjula's
physical
and
mental
endurance.
She
was
part
of
the
team
which
was
responsible
for
ensuring
the
system
readiness
for
the
mission.
It
meant
meticulous
planning
and
execution
and
close
coordination
with
various
vendors,
design
agencies
and
users.
"Post mission data analysis, we had to carry out modifications. Validation of changes was a challenging task and we stayed awake late into many nights under extreme weather conditions. But, witnessing the successful live firing of the missile and it destroying the Banshee target (at 35m height) bang on will always remain as one of the most proudest moments in my life," adds Manjula.
Manjula was chosen to lead the team for Site Acceptance Test (SAT) of first Squadron of AMS for the IAF. This involved simultaneous operation of 18 combat vehicles to perform missile system operation.
"Successful execution of the activity increased my confidence level to a great extent. I was also fortunate to be the leader of the commissioning team that successfully completed the installation and commissioning of first two squadrons of Akash. This was another proud moment for me," she said.
She
also
credits
the
success
to
her
male
colleagues
who
guided
and
groomed
her
at
various
stages
of
the
mission.
Pushpa,
Senior
DGM
from
Development
and
Engineering
wing
said
that
the
Akash
missile's
Pokhran
trials
were
truly
memorable.
"I was the only woman from BEL present during the Pokhran Mobility Trials. It was a matter of great pride for me. My heart-felt joy after mobility trials in hot weather (in Pokhran) and successful firing trials in peak winter (in Balasore) can never be expressed in words. The experiences from these trials taught me and my team many lessons," says Pushpa.
As the Division Head of Radar Signal Processing core group in BEL, Sarala B, a Senior DGM, felt that the firing trials gave her immense confidence and trust in the performance of the AMS.
"In spite of the severe flight conditions and critical flight exercises during the trials, the AMS undoubtedly performed to the maximum limit. I am really honoured to have worked for this outstanding project. It inspires me to achieve more in future," opines Sarala.
Women can take on any challenges now
According to Devika, DGM from a group which designed and developed simulators for Akash project, it was a general norm in the past that the women were not assigned high-profile responsibilities.
"Times
have
changed
and
today
women
are
assigned
challenging
responsibilities.
Women
have
gained
trust
and
credibility
by
fulfilling
the
responsibilities
with
utmost
dedication,
commitment
and
care.
This
was
evident
during
AMS
Project
implementation.
We
have
never
felt
low,
inferior
or
feared
failures
at
any
point,"
says
Devika.
For
Aparna
Shastri,
Manager,
Quality
Assurance,
the
biggest
challenge
was
to
ensure
compliance
of
all
the
vendors
involved
in
the
project.
"The most defining moment for me was witnessing the successful Akash firing trials at ITR Chandipur, where all our subsystems and systems were validated for their best performance, thereby realising the project objectives and meeting the user requirements," recalls Aparna.
Officers
like
Amriena
Tabassum
B
K
carried
out
the
challenging
task
of
flying
in
helicopters
for
validating
the
command
guidance
of
missile.
Members
from
the
Software
Development
Team
including
Sugandha,
Deputy
Manager
and
Jayanthi,
Senior
Engineer,
too
expressed
their
satisfaction
having
worked
for
the
AMS
project.
Finally,
it
was
the
turn
of
one
of
the
youngest
engineers
in
the
project
Akshatha
J
Kini
from
Development
and
Engineering
section,
to
air
her
views.
"Breathing life into a seemingly abstract concept by designing a board-based system used for the guidance of Akash missile was a challenge which I enjoyed as an engineer. Seeing the efforts lead to fruition during the successful missile firing trials at Balasore last year was an immensely proud moment for me. I felt proud for having contributed my small bit for our armed forces," says Akshatha.
(The writer is a seasoned aerospace and defence journalist in India. He is the Consultant Editor (Defence) with OneIndia. He tweets @writetake.)