With its focus on innovation and indigenisation, the Naval Armament Depot (NAD) at Aluva has over the past 10 years designed specialised equipment and set up facilities to support naval operations, according to P. Upadhyay, chief general manager of the depot which is celebrating its diamond jubilee.
Its latest R&D product is a ‘gun stand’ for light and medium machine guns on board warships. “Designed to take care of the pitch and roll of the ships, it allows gunners to exploit the weapon optimally under these difficult conditions,” says Mr. Upadhyay.
The depot has made over 700 such stands for naval ships. Not surprisingly, it is keenly studying if certain navy-specific weapon components that the Ordnance Factories are rather slow in delivering thanks to low volumes or non-availability of vendors can be manufactured locally in the depot. “Yes, the idea is to manufacture bolt ammunition, chaff rocket hardware for which naval quality requirement is different from that of the other Services and anti-submarine rocket hardware within the depot.”
When there was a huge delay from Ammunition Factory at Khidki in Maharashtra in carrying out proofing of naval grenades, the depot set up an in-house facility in 2012 to do the job.
The NAD also conducts safe disposal of life-expired ammunition using its demolition ground or by breaking them down using other means. On the horizon is a demil facility for the purpose, but there’s no space for the same on the campus – located in a thickly populated suburb.
“The depot’s expansion has been marred by non-availability of land. While we identified nearly 1,000 acres of land at Mupliyam in rural Thrissur and a few other areas, little headway has been made. The issue has however been taken up with the State administration,” says Mr. Upadhyay.
Rubber moulding
In view of the requirement for rubber components in very small volume, the depot is setting up a rubber moulding facility for manufacturing rubber parts for naval rockets and guns.
The NAD’s expertise in handling classified explosive cargo – for the Services and the PSUs – at the Cochin Port has come in for appreciation, he points out. But there’s a manpower crunch. While there has been an incremental increase towards the sanctioned strength of 710 personnel, at 583 people, it still falls short. The management is now pinning its hopes on the report of the Naval Standing Establishment Committee that has recommended augmentation of manpower.
The depot is holding an exhibition of armament for the public on October 22 as part of the diamond jubilee celebrations. Rear Admiral R.J. Nadkarni, Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command, is inaugurating the exhibition. The three-day celebrations also include a technical seminar on naval armament and ammunition and the release of a special day cover by India Post. Vice Admiral A.K. Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command, is set to be the chief guest of the event.
