ISRO to deploy doppler radars

Six units have been ordered from Bharat Electronics Limited

 
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the International Radar Symposium India - 2009 (IRSI - 09) being held here, he said six Doppler radars have been ordered from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). “Four are yet to be made, while two are ready. One will be installed next year at Cherrapunji (Assam), while the others will be installed at other part of the country. It will be primarily used for for monitoring cloud formation, wind movement and weather forecast” he said.

The other three Doppler radars are likely be located in the western, northern and southern parts of the country. ISRO is closely working with the Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) for this, said Nair adding: “We have developed technology for this and transferred it to the state-run BEL to manufacture the Doppler radars. The first radar has been in extensive use at our spaceport Sriharikota for launch purposes during the last five years”

Youth not being attracted to radar technology

The space scientist, speaking on radar technology not attracting engineering graduates,  said the time has come for the corporate sector/private companies to sit together and arrive at a rational policy for compensation.

“For a similar job, you cannot have one company paying one kind of salary and another fellow five times more. More money is needed to attract talent” Nair observed. Nair  said the tendency to prefer imported products over indigenous technology is doing the country no good.

He said, “The industry is catching up. MNC’s are also establishing R and D units to tap talent pool in the country. Despite this, many of us will run to foreign suppliers. The situation has to change. Even in the availability of Doppler weather radars developed by ISRO, some user departments preferred the imported option".

The chairman and managing director of defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited, Ashwani Kumar Datt said the company as part of its restructure plan could enter the nuclear power space and design instruments.

"We wish to be a designer and manufacturer of the instrumentation portion. The expenditure involved to venture into this has not yet been finalised” he said.