Models of Prithvi, 5 other missiles on display in Kolkata’s Science City

Kolkata: Life-size replicas of Brahmos, Prithvi and four other missiles are on display for visitors at the Missile Park in Science City here as part of an effort to showcase the great strides India has made in the field of defence technology, an official said.

The Missile Park has been developed jointly by the Centre for Millimeter-wave Semiconductor Devices and Systems (CMSDS), Kolkata, a unit of DRDO, and Science City, Kolkata, a part of the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) to make people aware of the missile development programme of the country through these models, he said.

A statue of India’s Missile Man, former President A P J Abdul Kalam, has found a place in the park. An audio commentary automatically starts to give an overview of the country’s missile programme the moment a visitor stands in front of the statue.

Science City, Kolkata, Director Anurag Kumar told reporters, "What the people usually see on their TV sets during the Republic Day parade, can now be seen live during their visit to Science City. We have set up a Missile Park with life-size replicas of missiles to enthuse visitors about the great strides India has made in the field of missile technology. We expect that the missile park would be able to encourage young minds to take up science and technology as their career."

The park, which was opened on the occasion of National Technology Day on May 11, enables visitors to have a view of the life-size models of six flagship missiles of India, namely Brahmos, Prithvi, Mission Shakti, Akash, Astra and Nag.

CMSDS Director Madhumita Chakravarti said, "It is a matter of pride that India has developed the technology required for propulsion, navigation control, guidance and advanced materials for missiles indigenously. India’s fleet contains missiles of every type and is thus ready to counter any external threat. India is a country to reckon with in all the advanced fields of missile technology, thanks to the vision of our leaders and the hard work of our scientists in DRDO."

India’s Missile development programme started in the 1960s through Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Later, the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) commenced under the leadership of APJ Abdul Kalam at DRDL, Hyderabad in 1983 which gave a boost to the missile programme.

Surface-to-surface strategic missiles Prithvi and Agni, surface-to-air missile Akash and anti-tank guided missile Nag were developed under this programme.

The development of Brahmos, the supersonic cruise missile, and Mission Shakti, the anti-satellite weapon, has made India a world leader in missile technology.