LCA Tejas on display

New Delhi: The pavilions of Israel and M/s Lockheed Martin have jointly been awarded the Best Exhibitor Award in the International Exhibitor category at the four-day, Fourth International Land and Naval Systems Exhibition, Defexpo India 2006 concluded here on Friday. Minister of State for Defence Production Rao Inderjit Singh gave away the awards to the best exhibitors of Defexpo 2006 on the final day. The runners-up Award in this category went to M/s Armaris of France. In the Indian exhibitors category the best pavilion award went to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Runners up prize to Larsen and Toubro Ltd. In the small scale exhibitor category, M/s Macmet India bagged the First Prize, while M/s Windlass Steelcraft was declared Runners up.

Speaking on the occasion Rao Inderjit Singh said that Defence Ministry is now in the process of finalizing the operational guidelines on offset policy for which the interaction at the Defexpo has been very useful. Congratulating the organisers, he said the growth figures clearly indicate that Defexpo has become a leading international event. The Defexpo has been organised to encourage foreign companies to join hands with domestic companies for exporting Indian defence products. Defexpo this year has shown a growth of nearly 40 percent over the last Defexpo-2004. The exhibition space increased from 12100 sq meters to 16400 sq meters and the number of exhibitors from 350 to more than 410. The international companies participating in Defexpo this year increased from 181 last year to 220. Thirty countries including USA, UK, Russia, Italy, Sweden, France, South Africa, South Korea, Ukraine, Germany, Czech Republic, Israel, Poland, Austria, Canada, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Spain are participating in the exhibition. Forty-four official delegations from nearly thirty-seven countries and ten business delegations are reported to have participated.

DRDO displays advanced equipments
by Vaibhav/Himanshu

New Delhi: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is currently displaying a variety indigenously built advanced equipment to fight terrorism at the ongoing Def Expo 2006, which started on January 31. These include a Remote Control Vehicle which can scan various objects and defuse explosives and a Counter Mine Flail which can clear a mine field.

Describing the features of Remote Control Vehicle, Alok Mukherjee, Engineer, DRDO said that most of the devices can be used in fighting terrorism in many ways. Mukherjee said, "This robot is specifically designed for handling improvised explosive device. In case of a bomb threat or unidentified baggage, this equipment is capable of lifting up to 20 Kilograms and can throw it out of the crowded area. It also equipped with other facilities like scanning objects and defusing the explosives if found with the opposite gun which is installed on it. Besides we have communication related equipment with which we can jam the remote control of terrorists. In this way we are working on many devices which could be used in countering terrorism." DRDO has developed a tank which can clear the mine fields of up to 4 meters in a single attempt. Gunjan Jay Kale, described the speciality of a mine destroyer tank proudly, "Counter Mine Flail is a T-72 tank vehicle. the purpose of this equipment is to clear 4 metre wide mine field in the vehicle's shape in a single pass. The basic crux of this vehicle is that it has more than 90 percent accuracy in clearing the mine field and it also has automatic control system. This is second in the world though Germany has the same kind of equipment but we have built it indigeniously designed by DRDO. This particular equipment is very useful in mine field. If it clears the way the rest of the tanks will not have any problem." Besides, DRDO has developed a Shy Power Generator which can convert hydrogen into electrical energy. It has also developed a fuel cell car which can run on battery. "Unlike normal petrol or diesel engine, it does not have extra parts. It works as source of energy like battery which runs using Hydrogen as power. Carrying Hydrogen is difficult. Either you need a combustion engine or you need to produce it out side. Here we produce Hydrogen in side the vehicle itself through chemical reaction. Hydrogen is stored in this system which can be used when it is required for the engine. We call it silent power generator of Shy Power Generator," said J Narayan Das, director, Naval Materials Research Laboratory, DRDO.

According to Major General Umang Kapoor, Director, C-Tec, DRDO, the advanced equipment can be helpful in modernising central and state para military forces as well as the police. Major General Kapoor said, "Though we are meant for the defence services, as a secondary function we are also here to help police, central paramilitary and state to modernise themselves to meet the threat of internal security of which we all are aware. We have given some of the technologies which we have in a system form or product form both to the states and to the central paramilitary forces." The exhibition, which ends today is also displaying various models of missiles, guns and radars. .
Feb 3, 2006