HYDERABAD: Eminent scientists at the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex Friday paid rich tributes to ‘the brain behind missiles intelligence’ KV Ramana Sai, who passed away on March 4. Ramana Sai was born in Nellore to Kota Srinivasa Rao, a leading lawyer and well-known stage artiste, and Venkata Subamma. He finished his pre-university in VR High School and joined Anantapur University and later transferred to Kakinada University to pursue Electronics engineering.
The 78-year-old was formerly associate director at Research Centre Imarat and had made vital contributions to the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. His sustained research and development efforts over four decades strengthened self-reliance in indigenous avionics technologies. Ramana Sai conceived and established necessary infrastructure and facilities to steer R&D in advanced missile technologies essentially needed but denied to India due to restrictive control regimes.
Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Chairman DRDO said, “My mind is filled with countless memories of Ramana Sai, a visionary who designed the first on-board computer for guided missile applications in India. The mission critical on-board computers developed by Ramana Sai steered the country’s first missile ‘Prithvi’ to a huge success in 1988 followed by successful mission of Agni in 1989.”