Agni-V: Hyderabad plays key role
Hyderabad played a crucial role in the development of the Agni long-range missile system, with a majority of the components conceived, designed and manufactured in the city. Scores of scientists from various laboratories of the Defence Research and Development Organisation in Hyderabad, as also those from local companies involved in the manufacture of defence components, worked tirelessly for over five years to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities in the form of Agni-5.
Agni-5, a new generation missile, has put India in the elite club of nations possessing intercontinental ballistic missiles and the credit goes to scientists and engineers from Andhra Pradesh and those who have made the state their second home.
Four of the six important institutions that played a key role in the research and development of Agni-5, are located in Hyderabad. The Advanced Systems Laboratory, Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Defence Electronics Research Laboratory and the Research Centre Imarat among other scientific institutions made India’s first 5,000 km-plus range missile a reality. As Dr V.K. Saraswat, chief of DRDO, pointed out, 80 per cent of the components of the Agni-5 have been made in the country. Dr Saraswat hails from Uttar Pradesh, but has obtained his doctorate in propulsion engineering from Osmania University.
Long-range missiles are sent high into the sky up to 1200 km and as they re-enter the atmosphere the temperature touches 3000 km. This is the crucial phase when the missile components should remain functional and intact at this high temperature.
It can be safely said that thanks to the Hyderabad team, the Agni missile system has become lighter, more powerful in travel and strike and, particularly Agni-5, more reliable.
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