Article Posted on : - Aug 04, 2016

ROURKELA (PTI): Rourkela Steel Plant(RSP) has supplied 106 tonnes of special grade plates in annealed condition for outer motor casing of Agni missile.

The plates were rolled and annealed at the Special Plate Plant (SPP) of RSP and supplied to MIDHANI, RSP said in a statement on Wednesday.

RSP has since commencement of operation in 1969 supplied 78,500 tons of special steel plates for various defence applications.

The spade armour steel plates and components heat treated at SPP have been used for T-72, T-90 main battle tanks and mine protected vehicles, while its homogeneous armour steel plates have been heat treated for use in Arjun main battle tank, the release said.

RSP also supplies Jackal armour steel plates and components for BMP-II Vehicles (ICVs), while SAIL Rath steel plates have been heat treated by it for Bofors gun carriage as per Swedish specification E691. Target steel plates for ammunition testing as per specification CQA (M)-51 and SAIL Abhed armour steel plates for rail wagons as per specification CDA-99 are some other high end products of this unit.

The SPP supplied special grades of steel for making of INS Vikrant, the first indigenous aircraft carrier. DMR 249A steel has been supplied for the hull and body while DMR 249B, a more resilient steel has been used for the flight deck that has to take the repeated impact of 20-30 tonne fighter aircraft landing, it said.

Development of these import substitution plates has brought to fruition a significant project in India's pursuit for self-reliance in indigenous ship and submarine building.

The SSP also supplied DMR 249A steel for India's first indigenously built submarine hunting ship, INS Kamorta.

A regular supplier of steel for atomic research projects, RSP has also provided AISI 316 LN Steel Plates with high inter granular corrosion resistance and 9Cr1Mo steel plates with excellent resistance to stress corrosion for IGCAR, Kalpakkam, the release said.

Efforts are now on to develop DMR-249BK, high strength (780 mpa) steel plates for submarines, sailarm plates for ammunition testing and Hardox & ASTM 537 Cl-II grades for non-defence applications, it added.