HYDERABAD: Dr Ram Narain Agarwal, popularly known as the ‘Father of Agni Missiles,’ breathed his last in Hyderabad on Thursday. He was 84.
“With profound grief and sorrow, DRDO offers its condolences on the sad demise of Dr Ram Narain Agarwal, outstanding aerospace scientist and Padma Shree, Padma Bhushan awardee, who was instrumental in the development of India’s long-range missile, Agni. May his soul rest in peace,” the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) officials said in a statement.
Agarwal was the first Programme Director of the Agni missiles, which is India’s iconic long-range ballistic missile programme. He led the programme for over 20 years before retiring as Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) director. He was honoured with the Padma Shri (1990) and Padma Bhushan (2000) awards. In 2004, he was awarded this year’s DRDO’s Lifetime Achievement Award “for pioneering the development and establishment of long-range missile systems.”