Article Posted on : - Oct 11, 2008

DRDO has already tested the new system at Gwalior and Pune air bases

NEW DELHI (BNS): The Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a new technique to test fighter jet weapons on the tarmac just before take-offs instead of laboratories, saving precious time and funds.

Before they are mounted on fighter jets, the guided weapons are tested to make sure they hit the targets with precision. The weapons like infra-red guided missiles and laser guided bombs can be tested through new devices and techniques developed by DRDO's Laser Science and Technology Centre (LASTEC).

LASTEC's director AK Maini was quoted by Press Trust of India as saying that the system helps in improving the accuracy rate of guided weapons.

These devices inform pilots about the effectiveness of attack and would also sound off about its accuracy through matching codes of target designator and seekers in missiles.

Maini said missiles can drift from their targets because of a mismatch in the code seekers in missiles with the designators. What the testing does is it simulates the jet exhaust signatures of intruding aircraft which are matched up with the infra-red seeker device in the IRGM. If it matches, the missile would hit the target.

The laser guided bomb (LGB) tester also works in a similar manner. As of now, this matching was done in laboratories. The LGB tester also simulates the codes of the target designator. It directs the LGB to hit targets. The accuracy would be determined by assessing if its laser seeking device is functioning well. LGBs uses laser homing to hit a target with greater accuracy. It is one of the most commonly used weapons by fighter jets. These types of bombs can not be accurate in clouds, fog or smoke.

It took more than 15 to 20 hours to carry out such checks in the laboratories. But now it can be performed just before the take-off on the ground. Through DRDO's technique such checks can be carried out on the air fields before a mission.

DRDO has already tested the techniques at Gwalior and Pune air bases of the Indian Air Force. Through the technique, Russian R-73 and French Magic Matra IRGMs and Paveway LGBs, were tested. The new technique would help IAF take on enemy aircraft with even more precision, DRDO officials say.