It was a deeply emotional moment for 78-year-old former aerospace engineer, missile designer and ex-Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist, Prahlada Ramarao. He was watching the highly impressive combat performance of the baby he had nurtured, which was protecting assets of India from incoming Pakistani drones and missiles between May 7 and 10, as ‘Operation Sindoor’ rolled on.
It was the indigenous missile air defence, Akash, a result of his sustained efforts for several years of his career spanning 44 years from 1971 till 2015. Tears welled up. He was speechless. It was a moment of pride and joy… and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
The Akash medium range surface-to-air missile system, with a range of about 30 km and an operational altitude ceiling of 18 km, can simultaneously engage multiple incoming targets, and is operational with the Indian Air Force and the Army. It provides air defence against multiple, simultaneous air threats to vulnerable forces or areas.
The system has cutting-edge features, including real-time multi-sensor data processing and threat evaluation, which enables simultaneous engagement of multiple targets from any direction. The entire system is flexible, configured on mobile platforms, upscalable and can be operated in group and autonomous modes, employing command guidance and relying on phased array guidance radar to guide the missile till it intercepts incoming targets.
Pessimism compounded the technological challenges, with naysayers doubting the young scientists’ abilities in developing indigenous systems. Ramarao recollects how people said the plans would never come through, doubting the young scientists led by Ramarao developing Akash’s critical propulsion and radar systems.
But while pessimism ruled, Kalam stood like the Rock of Gibraltar behind Ramarao and his young team. In DRDL, they had offices on the same floor, and Kalam often dropped into Ramarao’s office late evenings to discuss the project. Ramarao recollects Kalam telling him, “You will do it! And I am there with you! This is a challenge. India needs it! Let’s do it!” And, Ramarao, inspired by a colossus like Kalam, did it! Ramarao was the DRDL director from 1997 to 2005, after which he moved to DRDO headquarters in New Delhi as the Chief Controller (Research & Development) with the additional responsibility of DRDO’s Chief Controller for Aeronautical Cluster of laboratories.
Ramarao considers Kalam as his role model. The visionary engineer-scientist-turned-President of India trusted Ramarao because of his solid foundations in missiles and rocket systems, in which he majored during his Master’s in Aeronautical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, post-graduation in Mechanical Engineering from University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, also in Bengaluru. Born on February 5, 1947, he did his schooling and college in Bengaluru, where he now spends his retired life.
Ramarao’s association with the project began when Akash was conceptualized in the early 1980s. When the project was sanctioned, it was called the “Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile System”. It was christened “Akash” (“Sky” in Sanskrit) by APJ Abdul Kalam, the then Director, Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad.
In 1984, 35-year-old Ramarao was appointed as Project Director of the complex mission. Before that, he worked on missile control, guidance, design, modelling, and simulation aspects. Kalam wanted someone young and talented to head the project, which he realised then that it would take at least 15-20 years to complete. Ramarao ably helmed it till it matured into a lethal weapon system in India’s arsenal, guarding her skies. In 2015, he was awarded the Padma Shri.
The Akash journey was not easy. Initially, the team had just six scientists. It was a young team, and Ramarao, 35, was the oldest! Of course, senior scientists working as technology directors guided the team, which grew in strength and experience over the years. It took nearly 10 years to develop the propulsion system and an equal amount of time to develop a radar for it.
At one point, 1,000 scientists worked on the project in 12 laboratories across India, with Ramarao travelling frequently from Hyderabad to different cities. Those were Indian Airlines days, and its air hostesses jokingly told him that he flew more frequently than they did!
