Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dedicated to the nation the new manufacturing facilities of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) in its Bhanur Unit in Telangana. The new facilities include a Warhead facility at the Bhanur Unit and a Radio Frequency (RF) Seeker facility at Kanchanbagh Unit.
Addressing the researchers, engineers, technicians, and other personnel of BDL, the Defence Minister termed the new facilities as a testament to the commitment of the DPSU towards strengthening the defence sector and realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. He also lauded BDL for adopting a positive approach towards self-reliance by manufacturing products indigenously in collaboration with foreign companies, in line with ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ vision. He congratulated the company for preparing an indigenisation plan for the next five years and successfully achieving the target of the first two years.
The RF Seeker Facility, which was virtually inaugurated by the minister, is an integrated Centre for production & testing of RF seekers. Seeker is a critical and technology intensive subsystem which will be used in all future missiles for target tracking. This facility has been established by BDL with an investment of Rs 50 crore. Rajnath Singh congratulated BDL for joining the elite club of select few companies across the globe to have the capability to produce the seekers. He hoped that the facility will play a big role in achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in the field of missile production.
The minister exuded confidence that the Warhead facility will diversify the scope of manufacturing futuristic warheads and help in making India self-reliant in this field. With the inauguration of this facility, BDL has taken one more step towards self-reliance as the facility will be used for both its current as well as futuristic missiles.
Sharing his thoughts on the constantly evolving nature of technology and its growing importance in warfare in changing times, the Raksha Mantri stressed on the need to remain up to date on the technological front with indigenous capabilities. He exhorted all defence equipment stakeholders – Armed Forces, scientists, academicians, and industry – to develop products/systems while adapting to the ever-evolving situation. He emphasised on strengthening technology forecasting and investing in cutting edge manufacturing & testing capabilities, adding that the inauguration of RF Seeker Facility and Warhead Facility is a right step in that direction.
The minister underlined the importance of developing a long-term partnership between defence manufacturing organisations & academic institutions, moving from ‘Know-how’ to ‘Know-why’. He said, this long-term collaboration will help academia to work on core technological problems and assist R&D institutions to move from ‘theoretical analysis’ to ‘conversion into actual products’. It will be a win-win situation and give a boost to the defence eco-system of the country, he added.
Rajnath Singh commended BDL for working on R&D of third generation anti-tank guided missile, Amogha. He added that the DPSU has been an important part of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme started under Missile Man of India & former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in the 1980s. “The programme reduced our dependence on foreign countries in the field of missile development and sowed the seeds of self-reliance. Dr Kalam once said ‘In this world, fear has no place. Only strength respects strength’. BDL is working with dedication and hard work towards making Dr Kalam’s dreams come true,” he said.
He appreciated the vital role being played by BDL in catering to the needs of the Armed Forces, terming its achievements as a proof that the military will continue to induct indigenous systems regularly. He added that various items of BDL find place in the recently-issued three positive indigenisation lists, which will enhance the company’s capabilities besides ensuring faster delivery.
On the occasion, a Central Storage facility at Visakhapatnam Unit of BDL was also virtually inaugurated by Rajnath Singh. The state-of-the-art facility is equipped with modern storage system consisting of vertical Carousel System, Mechanical Compactor and Motorised Compactor which can cater the entire storage needs of the Unit. The facility has been constructed with an investment of Rs 4.90 crore.
The minister also virtually inaugurated infrastructure facilities (Multipurpose Community Hall, Gymnasium, Science Laboratories at Govt Junior College, nine additional classrooms at Zilla Parishad School, two additional class rooms at elementary school) constructed by BDL in Military Madhavaram village, West Godavari District as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. BDL has adopted this village as part of its CSR and constructed the infrastructure at a cost of Rs 4.5 crore.
CMD, BDL Commodore Siddharth Mishra (Retd) and senior civil & military officials of Ministry of Defence were present on the occasion.
