Manohar Parrikar pulls up DRDO over quality

TNN | Feb 6, 2015, 05.50 AM IST

Parrikar made these observations while interacting with DRDO officials on the sidelines of the launch of the fourth edition of the Bharatiya Vigyan Expo 2015 in Panaji.

PANAJI: Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday bluntly told the DRDO that its products were not up to expectations and several key projects undertaken by it were either behind schedule or found to be inadequate when compared with equipment sourced from foreign   defence contractors. He asked the organisation to buck up and develop indigenous products that matched international standards.

Parrikar made these observations while interacting with DRDO officials on the sidelines of the launch of the fourth edition of the Bharatiya Vigyan Expo 2015 in Panaji.

When officials showcased their Quadcopter drones, the minister asked them how long could the drones stay upin air. DRDO officials said the drones could fly up to eight hours. Parrikar shot back saying it was not enough for the armed   forces.This may be useful for police surveillance," he said. "We must develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which can last for more than 28 days." Quadcopters take lot of energy, but UAVs consume less energy, he said.

Parrikar also said the Army had brought it to his notice that while imported parachutes could be used around 100 times, the 'combat free fall system' supplied by the DRDO had a life of just 40 uses.

DRDO officials kept mum on the issue, but told TOI later that their system had been in place for 20 years and none of the armed forces had complained about it to date. They were even praised for the system.

Parrikar went to the BrahMos missile enclosure and sought to know what propellants were being used, its range and cruising speed. Then he went to the enclosure of the Akash surface-to-air missile and asked how it compared with Pakistan's surface-to-air missile. To this, officials said there was no comparison since Pakistan's missile was short range whereas India's was a long-range missile. Also, Akash's payload was far more.

(Source-TOI)