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By Anantha Krishnan M
Saturday, 10 Jan 2015 was a historic day for India’s military aviation. It was on this day in 2011, after many delays, debates and doubts, the Indian Air Force (IAF) reluctantly gave the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC-1) to the desi bird – the Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas).
Exactly four years later, Tejas added another chapter to its long list of achievements on 10 Jan 2015, when it flew for the first time fitted with a home-grown electronic warfare suite. Sadly, it was on this day in 1970 that India lost a great Test Pilot in Group Capt Suranjan Das, after his plane -- the HF-24 Mk IR -- crashed in Bengaluru.
For the hardcore devotees of aerospace and defence, 10 January gifted yet another moment. Dr Arogyaswami Paulraj, the man who revolutionised wireless technology for the benefit of mankind and the recipient of the prestigious $100,000 Marconi Prize for 2014, addressed a gathering of military brains in Bengaluru. He was delivering the key-note address to the Second Admiral R L Pereira Memorial Lecture, organized by the Navy Foundation, Bengaluru Chapter.
PMO seeks Dr Paulraj’s suggestions: The Marconi Prize, considered as the Nobel Prize of Information Technology, is instituted by the Marconi Society and Dr Paulraj is the second Indian to have won it after Prof Yash Pal. Dr Paulraj, a recipient of Padma Bhushan, donated the entire prize money back to the Society for undertaking advance research in education.
Prime Minister Naredra Modi is said to have met Dr Paulraj during his current visit to India. The Prime Minister’s Office has sought Dr Paulraj’s help while discussing India’s approach to high tech communication technology. He is currently an Emeritus Professor at the Stanford University and travels extensively to China and the United Kingdom as well.
Full report on OneIndia, here: http://bit.ly/1B3JceD
