Bengaluru: G Satheesh Reddy, the chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has expressed confidence that it can produce any missile as required by armed forces, India Today reports. 

He said, “The way the country has evolved itself in the missile system and particularly in the last five to six years, India has actually gained complete self-reliance in the area of missiles.”

He further added, “We are now able to develop any type of missile system what armed forces want.”

On hypersonic missiles, he said, “It will take probably about 4-5 years for us to work on all these things and realise a complete missile system, working for some good amount of range.”

On Brahmos supersonic missile, he said, “BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile. The test is done primarily to enhance indigenous content in the missile. Many indigenous systems incorporated in the BrahMos missile system have been flight tested, along with extended range.”

On Aatmanirbhar Bharat: 

“I can very confidently say we are strong and are completely self-reliant in the areas of missiles, radars, electronic warfare systems, torpedos, guns, and communication systems and so on,” he said. 

He said there is a lot of emphasis on developing systems indigenously. “We are helping the industry in a big way and lifting them up with various systems which they need to develop on their own,” he said.

Reddy added: “DRDO has given 108 items completely designed and developed by the industry. We have instituted technology fund to support such industries and we have given our test facilities open to them. Now, we are taking industry partners right from the beginning of the projects.”

The DRDO chief said the premier defence research organisation is now focusing on more advance and complex technologies. “We want to make India an advance technology nation meeting the Prime Minister’s dream of Aatmnirbhar Bharat,” he said.