IIT-M to develop India's first indigenously-designed 155 smart ammunition

CHENNAI: To achieve indigenization in a critical defence sector, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on Monday informed that it is partnering with Munitions India Limited, a defence public sector enterprise, to develop India's first indigenously-designed 155 Smart Ammunition.

"The objective is to increase the accuracy of the 155 mm shell within a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of 10 meters. At present, ammunition developed in India has a CEP of 500 m. Another key goal is to increase the lethality at the terminal impact point," a release from IIT-Madras read.

Elaborating on the key aspects Ravi Kant, IOFS, Chairman and MD of Munitions India Limited, said, "Munitions India Limited (MIL), which has carved a niche for itself in global defence manufacturing and supplies within two years of its formation, is excited to join hands with IIT Madras in development of this world-class ammunition."

"This will be a giant leap forward for the country in achieving its goal of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'. We are confident that the might of MIL in conventional ammunition manufacturing and the brain of IIT-M in developing a guidance system will pave the way for MIL's foray into modern ammunition manufacturing with Niche Technologies," he noted.

Speaking about the project, Professor G Rajesh, of IIT-M said, "The Special Purpose Shell will house the guidance, navigation and control system along with roll isolation strategies, canard actuation system, fuze, shell body and warhead. The smart projectile will have complex technologies such as miniaturised electronics/sensors and mechanical structures. The proposed smart projectile will use the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) for guidance. This means independence from foreign governments' satellite systems."

Professor G Rajesh, of IIT-M, and his team of researchers will be developing the smart ammunition, which has a duration of two years.