CHENNAI: About Rs.12,000 crores will be invested in the next eight years in production of missiles. The investment will go into Indian industry, according to Prahlada, Director, Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad.

Besides, Rs.1,000 crores will be spent every year on maintaining the missiles and upgrading technology. These include Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Nag, Trishul and BrahMos. About 200 industries in different parts will take part in the production.

The investment will have a big impact on industry and the economy. It will have a cascading effect on educational institutions because aeronautics is sought-after by students.

"Today, students are most excited to see a missile and touch it. Any child who comes to the DRDL asks, `Shall I touch the missile?' Children find it fascinating to touch the missiles. Even the grown-ups want to be associated with the missiles because they are a symbol of power," said Mr. Prahlada.

The DRDL has a "Hall of Missile Technology," where replicas of various missiles are on display. Mr. Prahlada was speaking to The Hindu from Hyderabad on the occasion of the 44th Raising Day of the DRDL. It was set up on June 28, 1961.

He said BrahMos, the supersonic anti-ship cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia, had gone into production as also Prithvi and Agni, both surface-to-surface missiles. "Akash, Trishul and Nag are ready for production. All technological problems in these missiles have been solved. In missile technology, nothing is smooth." The last three missiles had undergone many flight tests.

Trishul is a surface-to-air missile with a launch weight of 130 kg and a length of 3.1 metres. It has a range of 12 km. It is a tactical weapon system designed to meet the requirements of the three services against aircraft and helicopters. Akash, another surface-to-air missile, has a launch weight of 720 kg and a length of 5.8 metres. Its range is 25 km. Nag is an anti-tank missile. A state-of-the-art imaging infrared homing guidance system enables it to identify enemy tanks even in pitch darkness.

R.N. Agarwal, Director, Advanced Systems Laboratory, Hyderabad, (in charge of developing AGNI III missile) and Mr. Prahlada took part in a function on the DRDL campus on Tuesday.

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