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Missile technology to take giant strides: Tessy Thomas

Tessy Thomas

Thrissur: India’s missile technology will take giant strides in the next few years, Tessy Thomas, project director with the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) for the advanced version of the 2,500-km range Agni-II missile, has said.

She was addressing students of the Thrissur Government Engineering College, her alma mater, on Monday.

“Following the successful test-firing of the 3,500 km range nuclear-capable Agni-III surface-to-surface ballistic missile, scientists are working on the design for the first developmental flight of Agni-V (5,000 km). In regard to missile technology, India is on a par with developed countries,” she said.

Asked whether the country was relying much on borrowed technology, she said that development of any kind of technology was relevant for the whole world. “These days, development or use of technology cannot be restricted to any particular region. A few aspects of any technology we use may be borrowed, but we implement it in our own way. In many areas of science, India has proved its indigenous capabilities,” she said.

She said the possibility of DRDO extending support to the proposed research centre at Thrissur Government Engineering College could be explored.

“Student programmes should be supported,” she said. She said she saw missiles as ‘weapons of peace’. “They act as deterrent. They show our strength and no one will touch us,” she said.

K. Vijayan Raja, principal of the Thrissur Government Engineering College, M. S. Narayanan Potti, former head of the Department of Electrical Engineering , T. Krishna Kumar, convener of the college’s golden jubilee celebrations committee, M. Nandakumar, assistant professor with the Department of Electrical Engineering, were present on the occasion.

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