New 'missile man' of India offers 4 self-made missiles to Air Force

New Delhi: Within four months after his retirement as the Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Marshal (retd) Shirish B Deo has come up with four new Made in India missiles, which are far more capable and cheaper than the existing inventory of missiles in the Indian Air Force.

“The missiles put on display at the Aero India 2019 are all Made in India and have been personally designed and developed by me over the last several years. The motivation behind this has always been to do something for the country and to make it self-sufficient in the field of missiles and weapon systems,” Air Marshal Deo, who retired as Vice Chief in September 2018, told MyNation.

The personally designed and developed missiles include the 297-km strike range cruise missile Vel and stand-off missile Khagantak, which can glide to its targets and destroy them completely. The missiles along with other designation pods are the offerings by the company formed by Deo known as JSR Dynamics Private Limited.

Also read: Aero India 2019: India’s first self-made fighter jet LCA Tejas is now combat ready

"This epitomises Make in India, foreign exchange content is less than 10 per cent. We have two glide bombs of different calibre and a light-weight cruise missile with a range of 297 km that carries a small warhead. They could be inducted in less than 6 months," he said.

The officer said during the Gulf war in 1990, the American forces tested and inducted a bomb which was used extensively within 21 days after it was fully designed.

Deo said his company is about to sign an MoU with a public sector unit, which will help him in marketing and manufacturing the missiles in bulk.

The firm also is looking to export the missiles to foreign countries who may be looking for long range affordable solutions for their respective air forces. 
 

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