Students will have a unique opportunity to interact with one of the top missile scientists of India who was the chief designer of Prithvi, Agni etc. Tripura Times and School of Science, in a joint initiative, will organize the scientist-student interactive session with Padmashree Dr Prahlada Ramarao at Muktadhara at 5pm on Wednesday. Dr Prahlada has arrived in the city on Tuesday.
The interactive session aims at helping the students to inspire them to look at the challenges of life.
Dr Prahlada Ramarao (Padmashri) is India’s top missile scientist who has immense contribution to the country’s space, rocket and Missile developments. In fact, he was the chief designer of many Indian missile systems viz. Prithvi, Agni and Nag. He was involved with the project formulation, management and trials of BrahMos Supersonic cruise missile system and submarine-launched long-range ballistic missile system as programme director.
Dr Prahlada is former vice-chancellor of Defence Institute of Advanced Technology and a former director of Defence Research and Development Laboratory, the largest of the Defence Research and Development Organization laboratories in India, known for his contributions to the Indian space programme. He was honoured by the Government of India in 2015 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Integrated Guided Missile Development Program, during Prahlada’s tenure as its chairman, is reported to have developed several key technologies for the Indian space programme related to rocket propulsion, onboard avionics, missile systems, radar systems and hypersonic flight vehicles. He is also known to have contributed to the establishment of Compact Antenna Test Range, Structural Dynamic Test Centre, Supersonic Ramjet Engine Test facility, Subsonic Ramjet Engine Test facility, 6 Component Rocket Motor Test Facility, Computer Integrated Tomography, Computational Fluid Dynamics Centre, Shock Tube facility, High-Temperature Material Characterization Facility, High-Temperature Structural Testing and Missile System Simulation Centre for Indian Space Research Organization. He has served as the project head for Akash, a surface to air missile system.
It was during Prahlada’s tenure as the director, Defence Research and Development Laboratory initiated projects such as Astra air to air missile system and Long Range Surface to air missile system for Naval application. His contributions are also reported in the formulation of Defence Procurement Procedures 2006 and 2008. His tenure at DRDO also witnessed the commercialization of DRDO technologies by the organization with assistance from FICCI.
As the vice-chancellor of Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), he was involved in introducing courses in subjects such as Technology Management, Biosciences and Defence Electronics Systems under the newly formed Department of Bioscience and Technology. DIAT was upgraded as a Category ‘A’ University during his term there.
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