Scientist Avinash Chander at BIT Mesra. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Nov. 28: Serious efforts are on by Indian aerospace scientists to develop hypersonic cruise missiles and missiles with a range of 5,000-km and beyond to better equip the armed forces in the near future.

This and a lot more were discussed at BIT, Mesra when the best brains in aerospace science got together for a three-day convention and a national seminar yesterday.

Among those present were Avinash Chander, distinguished scientist and director of Advanced Systems Laboratory, Hyderabad, P. Venugopalan, director of Hyderabad-based Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) — a wing of DRDO —K.Subhas, deputy director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre-SHAR in Sriharikota and several experts from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Speaking to this correspondent, Chander, who was chief guest at the 22nd national convention of aerospace engineers at Mesra, said, “We are aiming to develop 5,000 km and beyond capacity long-distance missiles. It would give us confidence as far as external security is concerned. We are drawing every support from the government,” he said.

DRDL director Venugopalan said emphasis was on hypersonic missile technologies and necessary propulsion systems for futuristic long-range missiles. “And for that, work is on,” he said.

Both experts said the gestation period for these high technology programmes had been reduced to 3-5 years, the maximum being seven years. Earlier, the gestation period such missions used to be a decade or more.

The convention is also hosting a national seminar on “present status and technological challenges of Indian aerospace programme”. The two programmes were organised by the state chapter of Institution of Engineers, and BIT, Mesra’s department of space engineering and rocketry.

J.K. Prasad, the organising secretary, said the national convention would provide an appropriate forum for engineers, technologists, scientists, academics, designers and manufacturers to come together and discuss state-of-the-art technologies on select topics in the field of aerospace engineering.

Among the other who were scheduled to make presentations were IISC professors K.P.J.Reddy and P.S. Kulkarni, and A.E. Sivaramakrishnan from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum.