Indigenous Very Short Range Air Defence missile systems tested twice

A critical part of aircraft, Power Take off (PTO) Shaft, flight tests on LCA

March 14, 2023 09:08 pm | Updated 09:08 pm IST - NEW DELHI

Defence Research and Development Organisation conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of the Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha, on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

Defence Research and Development Organisation conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of the Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha, on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) missiles at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha on Tuesday. In another development, the maiden flight test of the Power Take off (PTO) Shaft was successfully conducted on Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Tejas) Limited Series Production (LSP)-3 aircraft in Bengaluru.

“The flight tests were carried out from a ground-based man portable launcher against high speed unmanned aerial targets, mimicking approaching and receding aircraft. The targets were successfully intercepted, meeting all mission objectives,” a Defence Ministry statement said on the VSHORAD.

The propulsion is provided by a dual thrust solid motor.

The VSHORAD is a Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPAD) meant for neutralising low altitude aerial threats at short ranges and is a critical requirement for the Army. It has been designed and developed indigenously by Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories and Indian Industry Partners.

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On the PTO shaft, another Ministry statement said that it is indigenously designed and developed by Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE), Chennai of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). “The PTO shaft, which is a critical component in the aircraft, will support the requirements of future fighter aircraft and their variants and offers competitive cost and reduced time of availability.”

The PTO shaft was designed with a unique innovative patented ‘Frequency Spanning Technique’, which enables it to negotiate different operating engine speeds, the statement said, adding that the light-weight, high-speed, lubrication-free PTO shaft transmits higher power between aircraft engine gearbox and aircraft mounted accessory gearbox while accommodating misalignments that arise in the drive line.

The PTO shaft technology has already been transferred to Godrej & Boyce, Mumbai and Lakshmi Technology and Engineering, Coimbatore, the statement added.

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