This ex-DRDO scientist spent his entire career building ‘Akash' missile system

The Hindu

16-05-2025

It is no secret that Hyderabad is the base for key DRDO projects and many products developed here have played a stellar role in the recent confrontation with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. One such was the short range surface-to-air missile 'Akash' that turned out to be the bulwark, along with other weapons systems, against the spree of drones and missiles fired from across the border during the tense period.
'Akash, which was indigenously built from scratch, was used in combat zone for the first time and has proved to be robust and effective. The automated missile system caught the other countries by surprise,' exults former project director Gaddamanugu Chandramouli, who spent his entire 34 years of career in its development.
The missile, fired from mobile platforms, can neutralise a variety of targets simultaneously, including fighter jets, choppers, UAVs, subsonic cruise missiles, smart bombs with supersonic speed and automated air defence functions irrespective of the altitude or size, says the ex- DRDO's outstanding scientist.
Hailing from Madhira (Khammam, Telangana), Mr.Chandramouli, a mechanical engineering graduate from NIT Warangal and M. Tech. from IIT Delhi, was part of the maiden team of three members, when noted scientist Prahalad Rama Rao, was entrusted with making the Akash missile system by former President A.P. J. Abdul Kalam while heading the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
'Kalam used to say 'first develop technology', the rest will follow. From design to ground based radar system, propulsion and weapon head, it was a 14-year work, throughout the week in the lab. We faced many failures at various stages. But to develop and supply at least something to our armed forces egged us on,' explains Mr. Chandramouli.
'Very few were ready to believe that we will come up with a potent missile that would become the mainstay for our country's defence system. There was cynicism all over. We were put up to scrutiny at every stage, yet we were calm, patient and persevering,' he recalls.
As a core member of Project Akash in DRDL-DRDO, the scientist led many teams from various organisations contributing towards successful accomplishment of design, development, flight testing and user trials since inception in 1983 till superannuation in 2018.
The first successful flight was in 1994 and final evaluation trials in 2006-07 before Akash was formally inducted both in the Indian Army (2015) and Indian Air Force (2015) under his leadership. Thus, India could become only the second country after Russia to have the capability to design, develop and produce solid ramjet propulsion based supersonic missiles.
'Kalam and other leaders created an ecosystem, where there were no egos, only goals. I learned many things from Kalam, Prahlada Rama Rao, R.R. Panyam, G.N. Rao, Ajit Chaudhary and many others, helping me execute this mega project. There was team work, transparency, support and motivation among us to surmount hurdles,' he avers.
After becoming the project director in 2011, Mr. Chandramouli streamlined production, delivery and induction of Akash into the armed forces, coordinating with 13 DRDO labs, nine defence production units and five ordnance factories to transfer complex technologies to local industries for production. The scientist is also getting ready with a book chronicling Project Akash.