The firepower demonstration at the military cantonment in golabandha near berhampur. picture by gopal krishna reddysunil patnaik

Berhampur, Jan. 7: Authorities of the Army Air Defence College in Gopalpur conducted a firepower demonstration today, with weapons ranging from medium and short-range missile systems to guns.

As many as 330 student officers, including 30 from abroad, witnessed the exercise. Lieutenant general B.V. Nair, who is the commandant of Defence Services Staff College, and chief instructors from the air force and navy attended the event.

The missile systems that were fired included the OSA-AK weapon system, Strella 10-m missile and Igla-1M shoulder fired missile. The anti aircraft guns demonstrated included the Schilka weapon system, L/70 gun and ZU-23mm twin barrel gun, which play a major role in the air defence of the Indian Army. The state-of-the-art Inter Services Pilotless Target Aircraft, Lakshya, produced indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, provided the aerial target support.

The officers were taken around the military station and shown various training facilities and the set-up at the host college. Commandant of the college, lieutenant general Vijay Kumar Saxena, said: “A similar demonstration will be conducted on January 12 for another 250 officers of Defence Services Staff College.”

Spread over more than 2,700 acres by the Bay of Bengal, Army Air Defence College is a training institution. It dates back to the pre-Independence era, when the School of Artillery was located at Quetta and the anti-aircraft wing, at Karachi. But after Independence, both were shifted to Deolali in Nasik.

In 1955, it was decided to relocate the air defence wing. Eight years on, the state government offered 3,000 acres at Gopalpur-on–sea along with seaward firing range, which was accepted in 1968.

The Centre sanctioned the establishment of Air Defence and Guided Missile School and Centre here and it was finally shifted to Gopalpur in 1989, redesignated as Army Air Defence College in November 1998.