The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), together with researchers of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, has developed light weight bullet proof jackets, named ABHED (Advanced Ballistics for High Energy Defeat), which offer 360 degree protection.
The armour plates for the jackets have passed all necessary R&D trials as per the protocols. The jackets meet the highest threat levels, and are lighter than the maximum weight limits stipulated in respective General Staff Qualitative Requirement of the Indian Army, the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.
With minimum possible weight of 8.2 kgs and 9.5 kgs for different Bureau of India Standards (BIS) Levels, these modular-design jackets having front and rear armours provide 360 degree protection, the Ministry stated.
The jackets have been developed at the DRDO Industry Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) at IIT, Delhi, which came up in 2022.
These jackets have been created from polymers and indigenous boron carbide ceramic material. The design configuration is based on characterisation of various materials at high strain rate followed by appropriate modelling and simulation in collaboration with the DRDO, the MoD stated.
Based on the selection-criteria matrix, some Indian industries were shortlisted for Transfer of Technology (ToT) and handholding. The Centre is ready to transfer the technology to three industries.
Reacting to the development, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat stated that the light weight bullet proof jacket exemplifies the effective ecosystem of successful defence R&D by the DRDO, academia and the industry.
GSL inks remarkable growth
Defence PSU Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) said on Wednesday that it has outperformed its past achievements on all financial parameters and achieved an extraordinary growth of 100 per cent in gross revenue, surpassing the ₹2,000 crore mark for the first time.
During the annual general meeting, CMD of GSL Brajesh Kumar Upadhyay informed that the company has achieved the highest-ever Revenue from Operations of ₹1,753 crore, representing an astounding growth of 102 per cent, Profit Before Tax reached 4365 crore, reflecting an impressive increase of 78 per cent over last year and Profit After Tax stood at ₹271 crore compared to ₹155 crore last year, the defence PSU said in a media statement.
He informed that order book position of GSL stood at ₹18,562 crore as on March 31, 2024, giving stable revenue visibility for the coming years. Furthermore, the Earnings Per Share jumped by 76 per cent from ₹13.28 to ₹23.31 in FY 2023-24.
The CMD said at the meeting that the GSL is presently executing multiple contracts for developing 22 platforms, highest in the company’s history. Among them are 2 Advanced Frigates and 7 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPVs) for Indian Navy, 2 Pollution Control Vessels (PCVs) and 8 Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs) for Indian Coast Guard and 1 Floating Dry Dock for Sri Lanka Navy.