The indigenously-developed stratosphere-troposphere (ST) radar at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) will be showcased under the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
A high-level meeting held at NITI Aayog in New Delhi in June is learnt to have recommended the radar project under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious programme that intends to make the country a manufacturing hub. The proposal to showcase the radar project under the Make in India campaign got a boost after V.K. Saraswat, a member of the NITI Aayog, visited the facility in March.
The meeting at NITI Aayog observed that including the radar project under the Make in India initiative would help in encouraging indigenous production of the technologies associated with it and reduce the dependence on foreign countries for various support systems associated with the radar.
K. Mohankumar, director of the Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research, said the design, development, fabrication and installation of the radar project were done indigenously. A team of scientists and engineers at the varsity had supervised the project, which was implemented by a Chennai-based firm.
The Centre has suggested that the wind data from the facility could be made available to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for assimilation into their weather prediction models. The Ministry of Earth Sciences will also extend financial support to maintain the radar. Efforts will be made to explore the demand for such a radar facility in various parts of the country. The meeting also recommended that the Indian Air Force could also utilise the facility for wind measurements, especially during take-off and landing operations of aircraft.
