The Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE), Orissa, and the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh, are important institutions of the Defence Research and Development Organisation engaged in the testing and evaluation of armaments, warheads and advanced weapon systems.
The tests will form the base for the design of weaponry.
The PXE is a world-class dynamic test and evaluation centre for armament stores, located close to the charming Chandipur beach washed by the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal.
Its Website is > http://drdo.gov.in/drdo/labs/ PXE/English/index.jsp? pg=homebody.jsp .
The birth of the PXE was as the Proof Department in India with headquarters at Balasore in 1895. At the time of British India, there was a recommendation to establish a Proof Department for all arms and ammunitions produced in India for British-Indian Forces. This had been implemented. The name of the establishment was changed to the Proof and Experimental Department and further to the Proof and Experimental Establishment. It has grown in size and sweep in tune with its changing role over the years. The establishment has been giving excellent service during the past 117 years. It has the rare facility of a notified range of 50 km in length along the seacoast and 50 km into the sea.
Areas of work
One of the significant responsibilities of the PXE is the evaluation of weapon systems. This entails the evaluation of ammunition and weapon platform performance through dynamic firing and assessment.
The establishment offers a fully instrumented and calibrated firing range for test and evaluation of all arms and ammunitions of Indian origin. Imported items are also supported. Some of the other areas of work are:
Investigation firing and failure analysis.
Analysis of ballistic data and design parameters.
‘Proof and evaluation’ of ammunition from ordnance factories.
Technical evaluation of imported weapons and ammunition.
Developmental trials for different armour materials.
The establishment keeps continuing contacts not only with other DRDO laboratories but also with other research organisations of national repute such as the Indian Institutes of Technology. Such collaborations offer research scholars excellent opportunities in the pursuit of excellence.
TBRL
India needs its own base for setting up specialised instrumented facilities and range technologies essential for the evolution of critical data essential for design, development and evaluation of warheads and advanced weapon systems. An institution was established with this end in view in 1961 — Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Sector-30, Chandigarh – 160 003; Website: http://drdo.gov.in/drdo/labs/ TBRL/English/ index.jsp?pg=homebody.jsp
This has facilities for applied research and technology development in the fields of high explosives processing, shock dynamics, blast and damage, immunity, lethality and fragmentation, and performance evaluation of warheads and other armament systems.
The TBRL has the unique facility of a technical area known as TBRL Ranges, spread over 5,500 acres in Haryana. The area is equipped with highly specialised instruments and diagnostic facilities. These generate critical inputs for the design and development of warheads and other armament system.
The laboratory stands certified for quality as per ISO 9001:2000.
Areas of work
Performance of armour-defeating projectiles and immunity profiles.
Studies of ground shock, blast damage, fragmentation and lethality.
Preparation of safety templates for various weapons.
Studies of underwater detonics and pressure wave propagation.
Explosive forming, cladding and welding.
Detonics of high explosives.
Development, production and characterisation of different high explosive compositions.
Applied research in detonics.
Impact and penetration studies and characterisation of materials at high strain rates.
Technology for design and development of shaped charges and explosively formed penetrators for anti-tank, anti-ship, and anti-submarine applications.
Technology for generation of high-energy electrical pulse power through explosive driven magnetic flux compression.
Blast, lethality and fragmentation studies of warheads, shells and other ammunitions.
Captive flight testing of bombs, missiles and airborne systems.
Ballistics evaluation of various protective systems such as body armour, vehicle armour and helmets against small arm ammunition.
Design and development of baffle ranges, warhead and exploder for torpedoes, bund-blasting devices, multimode hand grenade, non-lethal plastic and frangible bullets, and high-voltage, high-energy electrical power packs.
Ballistic evaluation of bullet-proof panels and helmets against various small arms ammunitions.
Development of riot-control non-lethal plastic bullet, for the use of paramilitary forces and police organisations.
