By Anantha Krishnan M
Express News Service
Express News Service
Bangalore/Hyderabad: Missile scientists of Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in Hyderabad are ready with studs that will sit pretty on the nose of India's future missiles. These Made in India studs – popularly known as radar seekers – ensure terminal guidance and single-shot kill probability (SSKP) for the missiles. It is now confirmed that a long-range anti-ballistic missile seeker is currently cajoled before it's unleashed for India's big-ticket spit-fire show – Programme Air Defence (AD).
Scientists who might have been given a brief not to revel much to this
'Express-Seeker', shared in bits and pieces that the new seeker will
undergo tests in 2012 before getting onboard Programme AD, during
exo-atmospheric intercepts. A milli-metric wave, all-weather capability seeker
was recently successfully flight-tested on anti-tank Nag missile. “Currently,
both seekers (against a battle tanks and against missiles\aircraft) are
undergoing a series of tests to prove its performance in a simulated environment
and could be launched in a missile within one year,” sources said.
A seeker eats up 60 per cent of a missile's cost and the transmitter polishes
off a major chunk of a seeker's cost. “We are in the development phase and are
making six seekers. The current tests include performance in temperature, vibration,
shock and HILS (hardware in loop simulation). The range of the seeker
depends upon the diameter of the antenna. The seeker dimension largely
depends upon the target, which is small for an aircraft and large for a missile.
What is most crucial is whether a seeker can deliver SSKP,” sources said.
The Radar Seeker Test Facility (RASTEF) at RCI resembles a Hollywood
recording studio with the anechoic chamber sure to stun a first-time visitor.
Seekers in the next five years would have electronic beam steering,
configurable processors so that it can take on a variety of targets. “They
could work in dense electromagnetic environment, networked environment and
carry out multiple functions of the missile like fuzing. Further down the
line there would be seekers working in different electromagnetic bands of
operation to beat deception as well as improve accuracies,” sources said.
Currently the world leaders in missile seekers are Agat (Russia), Thales
(France), Raytheon, Boeing (US)and Selex (Italy). It is a worthy wait as India
masters the art of making seekers – one of the most denied missile technologies
in the world. The cost of an imported seeker is Rs 2 crore and upwards and the
Indian version is claimed to be 60-70 per cent lesser.
A technology denied, is a technology derived? Well, India might be almost
there!
| Copyright@The New Indian Express |To be continued|
(CRACKING INDIA'S MISSILE CODE is an exclusive series currently on in The New Indian Express. In the days ahead, you will get to read a mix of news-breaks and tech-upgrades on current and futuristic missile programs of India, in addition to some human-interest pieces. Email your thoughts on this long-range series to anantha.ak@gmail.com and point out factual errors, if any, that might have crept in despite my best efforts.)
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| PART-8 |
