New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) Developments in energetic materials directly influence range, lethality, responsiveness and survivability, and indigenous capability in this area is therefore not merely desirable, it is essential for operational credibility and assured availability during a crisis, a top official of the Indian Air Force (IAF) said on Wednesday.
Air Marshal Sanjiv Ghuratia, Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance at the IAF Headquarters here, in his address at a seminar in Delhi also touched upon the critical dimension of “high-energy materials”.
These materials today underpin propulsion, on-board power generation and ensure the effectiveness of advanced weapons, which is the need of the hour, he said.
“All of you must have seen in Operation Sindoor what was utilised and what could have been better utilised by both the sides,” the IAF officer said.
He further said “developments in energetic materials directly influence range, lethality, safety, responsiveness and survivability”.
“Indigenous capability in this area is therefore not merely desirable, it is essential for operational credibility and assured availability during the crisis,” the air marshal said.
The seminar was hosted by an aerospace think-tank, along with defence-themed publication “Indian Military Review”.
“If we see globally today, aerospace research is moving towards integrated energy architectures that treat propulsion, power generation, storage and distribution as a unified system. I am trying to stress the unified system,” he said.
Hybrid propulsion concepts combining conventional engines with advanced batteries and fuel cells, including hydrogen-based systems, are being explored today to enhance the efficiency of platforms, endurance and redundancy, especially for unmanned and special mission platforms, the IAF officer said.
“This is a reality today. We have seen this in some of the applications during Op Sindoor. Some of the weapons, when you search what is being developed by the world today, these examples are available in plenty,” he added.
Later, Ghuratia told reporters, “We need better energy management resources, better technology and our own innovative approach to find solutions.” “This seminar will discuss many of the issues and areas that require significant deliberation. We know what is our aim, but this will discuss how we will reach there,” he added. PTI KND RC
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