Vehicles to monitor nuclear contamination handed over to Army

• Four nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) reconnaissance vehicles, fitted with several sensors, for monitoring areas contaminated by the use of nuclear and chemical warfare agents were handed over to the Army.

Modified carrier

The DRDO developed these vehicles by modifying the armoured personnel carrier BMP-II, and they are now equipped to monitor areas where nuclear, biological and chemical warfare agents could have been used. Instruments such as roentgenometers, gas chromotographs, dosimeters, solid state anemometers and chemical sensors have been integrated with the vehicles, which provide protection to the crew while monitoring the use of NBC contaminants. Besides, flag marks can be fixed where the NBC warfare agents have been used without the crew coming out of the vehicle.

The DRDO designed and developed these NBC reconnaissance vehicles with its Defence Laboratory (DL), Jodhpur, as the nodal agency. The Ordnance Factory, Medak, near Hyderabad, manufactured the BMP-II vehicles, and BEL, Pune, integrated the instruments with the vehicles. The Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra; Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), Pune; Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior; and the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Bangalore (all DRDO laboratories), were the major work centres.

Completion marked

The handing-over ceremony marked the completion of limited series production order of eight such reconnaissance vehicles. Ashwani KumarDatt, chairman and managing director, BEL; R.K. Jain, additional director-general, Ordnance Factory Board; and Narendra Kumar, director, DL, Jodhpur, were present on the occasion. The Army had placed orders for 16 more vehicles, a DRDO official said.

The DRDO has already delivered more than 35 sophisticated products and systems for NBC defence to the armed forces and they had a production value of Rs.500 crores.