Kamal Ghorui
New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday praised DRDO scientists for their role in strengthening India’s strategic capabilities through the development of tanks, missiles and rocket systems, but advised them “to increase your appetite for risk in research”.Pointing out that “the country that thinks, decides and deploys technology quickly stays ahead”, the minister said DRDO’s technology was “effectively used on the battlefield during Operation Sindoor” and the agency is playing a “key role in the rapid transformation of the defence sector” driven by the pursuit of indigenisation. DRDO-developed systems, including D-4 anti-drone system, smart anti-airfield weapon and Akash air defence system, played critical roles in the operation last year.The minister, however, suggested defence scientists to “increase your cooperation with the public and PSUs and share your knowledge with them…We should step out of the conventional areas”. He suggested the creation of a “separate wing” within the organisation that “takes risks in sectors where the chances of success may seem low”. However, if success is achieved, it will be historic, he said.Rajnath also underlined the “need to reduce time” between research and arriving at a prototype, from prototype to testing and from testing to deployment, asserting that “timely induction in the armed forces should be the biggest parameter”. “Technology is changing rapidly. Any tech that is new today may become irrelevant in four to five years. Therefore, in today’s times, especially on the battlefield, we must move forward keeping in mind the theory of ‘survival of the fastest’ and not just ‘survival of the fittest’,” he said.The minister praised DRDO for its journey from 10 labs during its inception to 45 labs today, saying the organisation has strengthened India’s self-reliance in defence and meets global standards.DRDO has significantly accelerated its advanced weapons programmes and missile testing pace, conducting multiple trials within a short span of 40 days to bolster deterrence capabilities. It tested two Pralay quasi-ballistic missiles in quick succession and India’s first long-range hypersonic missile (1,500km) in Dec last year as well as conducted a ground test of its scramjet combustor for hypersonic cruise missile this month.Meanwhile, Ankathi Raju, director of DRDO’s lab DRDL, spoke on Akash upgradation. “Akash’s first version has already been inducted in the Army and IAF. It was successfully used during Op Sindoor and has a range of 25km. AkashPrime is an upgraded version. Though AkashPrime range is the same, its special feature is it can be used in high-altitude areas. AkashNG is the most advanced version with a max range of 50 km and its user trials have been completed.”
