Subs to stay under water for 20 days, says DRDO chief DRDO comes up with technology to enhance underwater stay of Scorpene submarines to boost stealth capability Indian Navy is all set for a big leap. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed technology to help conventional submarines stay under water for 15 to 20 days before replenishing their supply of oxygen, thereby increasing their stealth capabilities. Conventional submarines usually surface every 24 hours to replenish their oxygen supply. So, we have developed an advanced system in collaboration with France by which a submarine can stay under water for up to 15 to 20 days, said Avinash Chander, scientific adviser to the defence minister and DRDO chief. DRDO scientists have developed an Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system that enhances the underwater stay of conventional diesel-electric submarines. Based on a fuel cell, the system converts methanol-like substances to produce hydrogen, which in turn produces electricity, said a DRDO source. Work on the six Scorpene submarines is on at the Mazagaon Dock in Mumbai. The first vessel is expected to enter service in a couple of years. Besides, the system can be used in other submarines as well, said a DRDO official. Submarines are battery operated as generators cannot be used under water. To recharge the battery, submarines generally come to the surface at night, which makes it vulnerable to detection. But, with AIP in place, our submarines can remain longer under water, which can help its security and boost combat operation capability, said vice-admiral (retired) Suresh Bangara. DRDO took up the project in 2010. Some tests are on, confirmed a DRDO headquarters official. The present force is 127 ships, 15 submarines and 236 aircraft. The navy has 14 conventional submarines (including Sindhurakshak) at present. As most of the conventional submarines are over 20 years old, they are reaching the end of their service life. DRDO is also developing the first indigenous unmanned combat aircraft. Many advanced countries are focusing on developing unmanned security systems whereas the DRDO is working on different unmanned system projects for aerial, underwater and surface applications. In fact, projects on unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, combat aircraft and others are underway. We have developed its design, too. It is going to be the future. It will be a fight between one technology and another instead of the conventional man-versus-man wars, said Chander. The scientific adviser is also of the opinion that private industries could play a vital role in manufacturing military equipment. The government is giving licence to private firms to manufacture military equipment, which is good news for the country. Besides, the foreign direct investment policy can play a crucial role in this sector as foreign companies would invest money here in the near future. Although armed with 52 laboratories, DRDO is facing a shortage of scientists for the last few years. We are in the process of creating more vacancies to plug this gap and we also plan to recruit 150-200 scientists every year in the near future, specified Chander. The DRDO chief was in Pune to attend the valedictory function of Post Induction Training School (POINTS)-19 at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), a DRDO initiative for imparting integrated training to newly inducted scientists of DRDO at the beginning of their career. ►►► Conventional submarines usually surface every 24 hours to replenish oxygen supply. So, we have developed an advanced system in collaboration with France
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 17:48:34 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015