IIT Madras and Munitions India Limited Team Up to Develop Indigenously-designed 155mm Smart Ammunition

 IIT Madras has partnered with Munitions India Limited to develop India’s first indigenously-designed 155 Smart Ammunition. This initiative will help achieve indigenization in a critical defence sector. Check details here 

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is collaborating with Munitions India Limited to create India's inaugural domestically-designed 155 Smart Ammunition. This effort aims to foster self-reliance in a vital defence area. The goal is to enhance the precision of a 155 mm shell to achieve a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of 10 metres, significantly improving from the current CEP of 500 metres for domestically-produced ammunition. Apart from that, there is an emphasis on amplifying the destructive power at the point of impact.

Prof. G. Rajesh, a member of the Aerospace Engineering Department at IIT Madras, along with his research team, is tasked with the development of the smart ammunition over a period of two years. Munitions India Limited comes under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, and is India’s biggest manufacturer and market leader engaged in the Production, Testing Research and Development and Marketing of a comprehensive range of ammunition and explosives for the Army, Navy, Air force and Paramilitary Forces. 

Components and Specifications of the 155mm Indian Smart Ammunition

• Smart ammunition to be launched from 39 and 45 calibre -155 mm Artillery Guns without any changes in the gun system
• This is a fin-stabilized, canard-controlled, guided shell
• Maximum range is 38 km - Minimum range is 8 km
• 3-mode fuse operation – Point detonation, Height of Burst, Delayed Detonation
• Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) Guided- GPS Back-up. (NAVIC is the primary guidance system which will make the guided ammunition completely independent of any foreign agency involvement)

Elaborating on the key aspects of this project, Shri Ravi Kant, IOFS, Chairman and Managing Director, Munitions India Limited, said, “Munitions India Limited (MIL), which has carved a niche for itself in global defence manufacturing and supplies within two years of its formation, is excited to join hands with IIT Madras in development of this world-class ammunition.” 

Speaking about this project, Prof. G. Rajesh, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “The Special Purpose Shell will house the guidance, navigation and control system along with roll isolation strategies, canard actuation system, fuze, shell body and warhead. The proposed smart projectile will use the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) for guidance. This means independence from foreign governments’ satellite systems.” 

Read More

• IIT Madras Admissions: Introduces Sports Quota for UG Programs
• IIT Madras Secures Rs. 110 Crore Endowment for Wadhwani School of Data Science & AI