Chennai: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras is partnering with Munitions India Limited, a Defence Public Sector Enterprise, to develop India’s first indigenously-designed 155 Smart Ammunition. This initiative will help achieve indigenization in a critical defence sector.
The objective is to increase the accuracy of 155 mm shell within a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of 10 metres. At present, ammunitions developed in India have a CEP of 500 m. Another key goal is to increase the lethality at the terminal impact point.
Munitions India Limited comes under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, and is India’s biggest manufacturer and market leader engaged in the Production, Testing Research and Development and Marketing of a comprehensive range of ammunition and explosives for the Army, Navy, Air force and Paramilitary Forces. Prof. G. Rajesh, Faculty, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras, and his team of researchers will be developing the smart ammunition, which has a duration of two years.
Elaborating on the key aspects of this project, Ravi Kant, IOFS, Chairman and Managing Director, Munitions India Limited, said, “Munitions India Limited (MIL), which has carved a niche for itself in global defence manufacturing and supplies within two years of its formation, is excited to join hands with IIT Madras in development of this world-class ammunition.”
Ravi Kant added, “This will be a giant leap forward for the country in achieving its goal of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. We are confident that the might of MIL in conventional ammunition manufacturing and the brain of IIT Madras in developing a guidance system will pave the way for MIL’s foray into modern ammunition manufacturing with Niche Technologies.”
Speaking about this project, Prof. G. Rajesh, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “The Special Purpose Shell will house the guidance, navigation and control system along with roll isolation strategies, canard actuation system, fuze, shell body and warhead. The smart projectile will have complex technologies such as miniaturized electronics/sensors and mechanical structures. The proposed smart projectile will use the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) for guidance. This means independence from foreign governments’ satellite systems.”
The key Characteristics and components of the 155mm Indian Smart Ammunition will include:
- Smart ammunition to be launched from 39 and 45 calibre -155 mm Artillery Guns without any changes in the gun system.
- This is a fin-stabilized, canard-controlled, guided shell.
- Maximum range is 38 km – Minimum range is 8 km
- 3-mode fuse operation – Point detonation, Height of Burst, Delayed Detonation
- Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) Guided- GPS Back-up. (NAVIC is the primary guidance system which will make the guided ammunition completely independent of any foreign agency involvement)
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