- Overview: Advancing the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ vision, researchers at IIT-Madras, in collaboration with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), have successfully developed a highly precise 80mm rocket system tailored for helicopters.
- Key Points:
- Lethal Range: The unguided/guided modular rocket promises a strike range of 10 to 12 kilometers, significantly distancing the launch platform from enemy air defenses.
- Pinpoint Accuracy: Trials at the Aeronautical Test Range (Chitradurga) validated sub-10-metre accuracy under simulated high-stress combat conditions.
- Platform Integration: Designed specifically for seamless integration with the IAF and Army’s ALH Rudra and LCH Prachand fleets.
- Strategic Independence: Reduces dependency on Russian (S-8) and Western aerial rocket systems, plugging a critical munitions gap.
- Defense Exam Relevance: Direct CDS/AFCAT weapons systems question, Science & Tech Indigenization (GS-III).
Source Link: IIT Madras Aerospace Engineering Innovations
- Q7. The ‘Aeronautical Test Range’ (ATR), recently in the news for testing the indigenous 80mm rocket system, is located in:
- A) Balasore, Odisha
- B) Pokhran, Rajasthan
- C) Chitradurga, Karnataka
- D) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
