Jodhpur: In a significant development for the country's defence sector particularly the Indian Navy, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Wednesday handed over the Medium Range-Microwave Obscurant Chaff Rocket (MR-MOCR) to the Indian Navy at a ceremony held in New Delhi.
According to an official press release, the MR-MOCR was handed over by Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat to Director General of Naval Armament Inspection, Indian Navy Rear Admiral Brijesh Vashistha. The DRDO Chairman congratulated the Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur team for this significant achievement. The Director General of Naval Armament Inspection, Indian Navy also applauded the efforts of DRDO for indigenously developing this strategically-important technology in a short span of time.
Significantly, Microwave Obscurant Chaff (MOC), a niche technology developed by DRDO’s Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur, obscures radar signals and creates a microwave shield around platforms and assets, thus reducing radar detection. The technology is an improved form of the chaff rocket system developed in 2021.
An official said that a special type of fibres, with diameter of a few microns and unique microwave obscuration properties, have been assembled in the medium range chaff rocket. The rocket, when fired, forms microwave obscurant cloud in space spreading over a sufficient area, with adequate persistence time, thus creating an effective shield against hostile threats having Radio Frequency seekers, added the official.
According to the official, the Phase-I trials of MR-MOCR were successfully conducted from Indian Navy ships, demonstrating the MOC cloud blooming and being persistent in space. In Phase-II trials, the Radar Cross Section (RCS) reduction of an aerial target to the extent of 90 per cent has been demonstrated and cleared by the Indian Navy. The number of MR-MOCR, meeting all the qualification requirements, have been successfully handed over to the Indian Navy.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has complimented DRDO and the Indian Navy on the successful development of MR-MOCR. He termed the MOC technology as another step towards achieving Aatmanirbharta in defence.
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