Women have made substantial strides in defence research being spearheaded by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), with three women directors general, three others as directors of major defence laboratories, and another three serving as corporate directors at the agency’s headquarters, G. Satheesh Reddy, Chairman of DRDO and Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development, told the media here on Thursday.
“Many other women [scientists] are heading critical projects, including those dealing with missiles and bombs. The Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) - Kochi too has many woman project directors, while woman scientists of the DRDO also travel on board ships, submarines, and to frontier areas,” he said on the sidelines of the International Women’s Day 2022 celebrations (‘Shakti’) organised here by the DRDO. Outstanding woman defence scientists were honoured at the event hosted by the NPOL. Around 250 woman scientists from across the country attended the event, which saw discussions on how women could contribute to augmenting defence technology and create a better working environment in the research and development field.
Mr. Reddy said the DRDO was working on new technologies, including Helina, an indigenously developed anti-tank guided missile that was tested from high altitude. “Yet another technology is the high-capacity, indigenous, long range 155-mm gun, whose final trial is under way at Pokhran. The DRDO is trying to be the world leader in defence technologies. Similarly, Rustom-2 [the indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle] is going through the final trials. We will be able to see whether it is meeting all requirements, by May. We are constantly assessing emerging technologies globally,” he added.
“Artificial Intelligence [AI] has been introduced in all system labs of the DRDO, and AI will be part of every system. India is one among the few nations that have developed anti-drone technology and demonstrated it. The technology has been transferred to Bharat Electronics Ltd [BEL] and a few private agencies. Subsequently, the armed forces and security agencies have begun placing orders,” he said.
On its part, the NPOL-Kochi is leading in developing sonars and sea situation awareness. A lot of science and technology is happening in the lab, which is one of the frontier such facilities in the world. The lab will get a lot more new facilities, including for testing and instrumentation. It is poised to work on next-generation technologies for the ‘underwater domain’, Mr. Reddy said.
Former Chief Postmaster General (Kerala) and former Chairperson of the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Shoba Koshy, congratulated the DRDO’s woman scientists in its 52 labs and other delegates on their achievements and their endeavour in helping the country achieve self-reliance in defence. She called for steps to sensitise people about violence and bias women and children faced, including at home. “Working women are often worried about the safety and well-being of their children and of having to balance household chores with profession,” she said.
The event marked the culmination of month-long activities in connection with the International Women’s Day observance at NPOL, the sole DRDO laboratory in Kerala. NPOL Director S. Vijayan Pillai and M. Rema Devi, convener of the event, were among those who spoke. The event included a team-building workshop, technical sessions, invited talks and panel discussions, including on ‘Emotional intelligence and balance’ and ‘In pursuit of passion’. The technical session concluded with Mr. Reddy releasing a compendium of selected technical articles written by women scientists of the DRDO.
