Seoul: India is showcasing its newly developed "Pragati" tactical surface-to-surface missile at the International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition ADEX-2013. The missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has a range of 60-170 km.
Pragati is a highly potent and accurate short-range, battlefield tactical missile system capable of neutralizing identified ground targets and providing an effective counter-force weapon system.
It has all weather day and night operational launch capability.
"It is proud moment for all of us in DRDO and for all our industry partners," said Avinash Chander, scientific adviser to the defence minister and head of the DRDO.
"Though DRDO has been participating in international exhibitions as part of India pavilion, this is for the first time in the history of India that indigenously developed major weapon systems have been taken outside the country for displaying in an international exhibition," added Chander, who is heading a high-level delegation to the fair.
The delegation includes A. Sivathanu Pillai, CEO Brahmos; V.G. Sekaran, director general of missile and strategic systems; and senior officials from the private sector and industry chambers which are partnering DRDO in the production of various weapon systems.
The Pragati missile has quick reaction from command to launch in ripple firing mode of less than five seconds from same launcher. It is capable of carrying various types of conventional warhead of approximately 200 Kg.
The missile system has capability of deployment in stand-alone mode or centralised mode. With its effective and intelligent end trajectory maneuvreing, Pragati defeats detection by any weapon locating radar.
India is also exhibiting other state-of-the-art weapon systems, platforms, sensors, communication systems designed and developed by DRDO. All these systems have been trial evaluated and inducted by the Services.
As part of the event and to further expand the cooperation between South Korea and India, an defence summit was held Tuesday in which more than 100 industries from Korea participated.
During the visit of Defence Minister A.K. Antony, the DRDO signed an MoU for identifying futuristic defence technology areas of mutual interest and pursuing R&D works in both the countries under the overarching umbrella of India-South Korea Defence Agreement.
The MoU aims at co-development and co-production of defence products with Indian industry through DRDO.
Leading defence system manufacturers from all over the world are displaying their products in ADEX.
ADEX authorities said DRDO is the largest international participant in the fair other than the Korean industries.
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