VP inaugurates 2 new facilities at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Mondaypraised DRDO scientists and engineers for taking India very close to self-reliance in missile technology with their hard work, dedication and perseverance.

“Attaining self-reliance in the defence sector is not only of critical or strategic importance for the country, but is also essential in terms of national pride,” he said.

The Vice President made these remarks while addressing the scientific community after inaugurating two new facilities at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad today.

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The Vice President also visited the Exposition of Technologies by Missile Complex Laboratories and said he was elated to see the indigenous products. “I felt reassured about the security and capability of the country given the tremendous progress made by DRDO scientists in developing self-reliant missile technology,” Naidu said.

He expressed confidence that scientists and technologists of DRDO with their calibre and commitment will make India so self-reliant that Atmanirbhar Bharat will attain a position where the world will become Bharat Par Nirbhar (dependent on India).

Emphasising the importance of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Vice President said that self-reliant technologies give a boost to local industry, generate employment opportunities and earn valuable foreign exchange.

Noting that the Akash missile system has recently been put into the negative list of items for import by the Ministry of Defence, he called it a commendable achievement by DRDO. “It means that India is now self-reliant in this kind of missile system and so the armed forces need not import similar missile systems,” he said.

Referring to the limitations faced by India in having access to high-end missile technology of developed countries prior to the signing of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in 2018, Naidu said DRDO turned this crisis into an opportunity by developing a range of indigenous missile systems.

Naidu expressed his happiness over the fact that India is now trying to shift its status from being one of the largest importers of defence products to one of the top exporters of defence items. Underlining that India’s defence exports still remain very low despite the recent increase by seven times, he said that there is lot of scope in developing defence technologies of export value. He asked the scientists and technologists to not only identify the future defence needs of the country but also the technologies that can be exported.

Referring to the rapidly changing technological landscape, the Vice President asked DRDO to redefine its focus on strategic defence technologies and outsource activities which can be carried out by capable private sector participants.

He said he was happy DRDO had set up eight advanced technology centres to carry out research on futuristic military applications.

Naidu also wanted women to be encouraged to participate in the field of science and technology.

He praised DRDO for its wholehearted support in the fight against coronavirus by providing many innovative technology solutions. “The establishment of a 1,000-bed hospital in just 12 days illustrates the kind of capabilities DRDO has and how quickly it can respond in war-like situations,” he said.

On this occasion, the Vice President inaugurated two new facilities — a Missile System Review Hall, and Air Commodore V Ganesan Integrated Weapon System Design & Development Centre at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex.

The Vice President appreciated the role of DRDO in India’s missile technology development ever since its inception in 1961. Mentioning the contribution of stalwarts like Dr Kalam in the success of the Integrated Missile Development Program (IGMDP), Naidu recalled his personal association with the former President and said that he was struck by his simplicity, the depth of his knowledge and his deep desire to make India a superpower. He was happy that the scientists of the missile cluster of DRDO continue to maintain the legacy of Dr Kalam and have developed new-generation state-of-the-art missile systems.

He praised the scientists for working hard to meet important milestones of the missile development programmes despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and mentioned several commendable achievements, such as the successful trials of Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM), Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM), Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW), Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART), and Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM).