IIT Madras Developing India’s First 1550 mm Smart Ammunition shell Collaborate with Munitions India

Defense News ,India :- The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) is teaming up with Munitions India Limited, a Defense Public Sector Enterprise, to create India's inaugural 155 Smart Ammunition. This joint effort aims to achieve self-reliance in a crucial defense sector.

The main goal is to enhance the accuracy of the 155 mm shell within a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of 10 meters. Currently, India's developed ammunitions have a CEP of 500 meters. Another important objective is to increase the lethality at the impact point.

Munitions India Limited, operating under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, stands as the country's largest manufacturer and market leader in the production, testing, research and development, and marketing of a wide range of ammunition and explosives for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Paramilitary Forces.

Professor G. Rajesh and his team from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Madras will be spearheading the development of the smart ammunition over a two-year period. Ravi Kant, Chairman and Managing Director of Munitions India Limited, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, emphasizing its significance in advancing India towards the goal of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India).

Prof. G. Rajesh explained that the Special Purpose Shell will contain a guidance, navigation, and control system, along with roll isolation strategies, canard actuation system, fuze, shell body, and warhead. The smart projectile will incorporate advanced technologies, including miniaturized electronics/sensors and mechanical structures. The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) will be used for guidance, ensuring independence from foreign satellite systems.

Key characteristics and components of the 155mm Indian Smart Ammunition include its compatibility with 39 and 45 calibre -155 mm Artillery Guns without any modifications. It is a fin-stabilized, canard-controlled, guided shell with a range of 8 km to 38 km. The 3-mode fuse operation includes point detonation, height of burst, and delayed detonation, with the IRNSS providing guidance and making the ammunition independent of foreign agencies.

In an effort to bring indigenization in India's #defence sector, @iitmadras will be partnering with @IndiaMunitions, to develop India’s first indigenously designed 155 Smart Ammunition. The objective is to increase the accuracy of the 155 mm shell within a CEP of 10 metres. pic.twitter.com/EWoEw1e9ms

— IIT Madras (@iitmadras) February 5, 2024