New Delhi, May 7 (Mayank Nigam) Integrated steel maker Jindal Stainless on Tuesday said it has developed a specialized 3mm special alloy steel to be used for structural application in the Supersonic Missile – Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) system, aimed at enhancing Navy’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities. The specialised grade sheets used for flying applications in the next-generation missile-based light-weight torpedo delivery system were supplied to the country’s military research arm Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which designed and successfully flight-tested it off the coast of Odisha last week, the company said in a statement. Commenting on the landmark development, Managing Director, Jindal Stainless, Mr Abhyuday Jindal, said, “The successful flight-testing of the Navy’s SMART system is a significant milestone in India’s strategic defence capabilities far beyond the conventional range of light-weight torpedo.
“Jindal Stainless is a proud contributor to bolstering the Indian Navy through the canister-based missile system that demands materials of the highest quality to ensure optimal performance and reliability. Jindal Stainless’ special alloy steel sheets have been rigorously tested to meet and exceed the stringent requirements for such critical applications,” he added. The specialised sheets can withstand both high pressure and high temperature during the flight, and were indigenously developed by Jindal Stainless’ strategic vertical, Jindal Defence and Aerospace, at the company’s Hisar facility in record turnaround time. SMART carries advanced light-weight torpedo as payload along with parachute-based release system, and can be launched from coasts as well as warships.
Several state-of-the-art mechanisms such as symmetric separation, ejection and velocity control have been validated in this test, according to the defence ministry. Jindal Stainless has supplied material for key projects under the DRDO as well as the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) in the past, including India’s ambitious lunar mission Chandrayaan, PSLV, GSLV Mk3, Nuclear Submarine missile system, missile canister for almost all missile programmes and exhaust unit application in rockets. The company is also working dedicatedly towards meeting the material requirements of the upcoming missile programmes, the statement added.