Dec 29 2010
Sensor-embedded, four nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) investigation vehicles were provided to the Army, for detecting various zones that have been polluted by using chemical and nuclear combat agents.
NBC reconnaissance vehicle
W. Selvamurthy, Chief Controller of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Life Sciences department, has handed over these innovative vehicles to M.C. Badhani, Lieutenant General Engineer-in-Chief of the Army, at the Pune-based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
The DRDO advanced these vehicles by revising the BMP-II armoured personnel carrier, and improved them to observe the areas, in which nuclear, biological and chemical warfare agents have been employed. These vehicles are equipped with gas chromotographs, dosimeters, roentgenometers, chemical sensors and solid state anemometers to furnish security to the squad during the inspection of NBC contaminants. In addition, flag marks have been integrated on the areas where NBC combat agents have been deployed without the crew coming out of the vehicle.
DRDO structured and improved these reconnaissance vehicles in its Jodhpur-based Defense Laboratory (DL), Ordnance Factory in Medak near Hyderabad, fabricated the BMP-II vehicles, and Pune-based BEL installed these safety devices within the vehicles. The main work centres were Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), Pune; Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior; Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra; and the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Bangalore (all DRDO laboratories).
R.K. Jain, additional director-general, Ordnance Factory Board; Ashwani KumarDatt, chairman and managing director, BEL; and Narendra Kumar, director, DL, Jodhpur, were present at the hand-over ceremony. The Army had offered a contract for 16 more vehicles, according to a DRDO official. DRDO has already provided over 35 hi-tech solutions for NBC security to the armed forces.