The Heavy Alloy Penetrator Project (HAPP), Tiruchi, has developed an indigenised version of the Russian Anti-Submarine Rocket Guided Bomb 60 (RGB 60).
The 110-kg RGB 60, developed through in-house Research and Development process within a year, has been designed to fire a warhead mass of 25 kg to a range of 5.8 km within ten seconds. The rocket is fired in formations from the RBU 6000 Rocket Depth Bomb Launcher mounted on ship.
The first batch of 20 RGB 60 rockets will shortly be despatched for trial with support from officers and staff of the NAI (Naval Armament Inspectorate) detachment of CINA (Chief Inspectorate of Naval Armaments), HAPP General Manager M. Ravi told presspersons here on Thursday.
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The hardware manufactured by the HAPP would be fired with high explosives and propellants, and the fully charged rocket will be given to the Navy by AF Khadki, a sister ordnance factory, he said.
One of the 41 ordnance factories last year developed the smaller range RGB-12 Rocket with 1.5-km range. Ten RGB 12 Rockets were now in advanced stage of trial, Mr. Ravi said, exuding confidence that bulk production of these two varieties of rockets could be started at the HAPP by the year-end.
With regard to ongoing R&D initiatives and expansion plans, Mr. Ravi said the HAPP was in the process of manufacturing ammunition required for the shoulder-fired Carl Gustav rocket launcher and co-production with 125 mm Israel Military Industries (IMI).
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The HAPP was one among the 12 ordnance factories where facilities would be expanded for scaling up manufacture of Pinaka rockets, he said.
As part of celebration of the Ordnance Factories Day, Mr. Ravi earlier inaugurated an exhibition featuring the models of the RGB 60 and RGB12 and photos displaying various important events and milestones in the history of HAPP.
He also honoured two recipients of the Ayudh Shri Awards.