IIT-K to develop DRDO 1st swadeshi rocket

KANPUR: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-K) has been selected to assist the Defence Research, Development Organisation (DRDO) in the development of the first ‘Swadeshi Rocket’, which would have a range of 70 km.

The 122 MM Extended Range Rocket was in the final stage and the Armament Research and Development Organisation (ARDO), a unit of the DRDO, has set up a committee to help improve the design.

IIT Kanpur aerospace engineering head AK Ghosh will head the ARDO committee.

Seven other members from ARDO including DK Joshi, PP Parkhi, BR Rao, PW Sonvaney, A Anandranjan, SC Ghume and a HIMRAL representative were included in the committee to give final shape to the design of the rocket.

“So far, such rockets were not produced in the country. The parts were imported from Russia and were only assembled here. This would be the first rocket developed in the country which is expected to have a strike range of 40 to 70 km range,” said Prof Ghosh.

Though the DRDO has designed the rocket but it needed improvements in design so that its attacking capacity could be further increased. It was expected that it would take another two years to complete.

The swadeshi rocket will undergo laboratory and field tests before being inducted into the army, he said.

Prof Ghosh is known for his contributions in aircraft and making them more efficient and risk-free. His team will also complete some other DRDO projects which could not be completed due to technological reasons.