DRDO Chairman, Dr S Christopher, delivered the first GIS i-Talk lecture at GU on Thursday

AHMEDABAD: Indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is unique among the fighter jets as it’s unstable. The same characteristic gives the aircraft agility. When the researchers at Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) were designing it, they also added a feature where the systems sense the trouble with pilots. When the pilots fly at high altitudes, they feel the gravitational force (G-force) which makes them momentarily disoriented. With home-grown design and production, such a feature could be added.

It was one of the anecdotes shared by Dr S Christopher, chairman of DRDO at Gujarat University on Thursday as part of the first i-Talk organized by Gujarat Innovation Society (GIS). Christopher elaborated on the need for innovation and how DRDO over the years has evolved by developing need-based technology - ranging from Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) and Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) to Maareech Advanced Torpedo Defence System (ATDS) and Swathi weapon location radar. 

“Make in India initiative has motivated us to devise innovative solutions for our defence needs and also to collaborate with the private sector. Along with the standing armed forces, we will also need technological advancements for strategic advantage. Many a time, we cannot trust a technology if there are chances that it can also be given to someone else,” said Christopher.

He added that apart from military technology, DRDO is also working actively for civilian applications for which they are collaborating with the industry.