DuPont world-class integrated ballistics facility opens in Hyderabad

India's defence forces and security agencies have the option of making use of DuPont's world-class integrated ballistics facility which is now open at the DuPont Knowledge Centre in Hyderabad, which wasinaugurated yesterday.

The defence forces have to depend mainly on technology developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the ordnance factories when it comes to domestic defence procurement but with DuPont's state-of-the-art integrated ballistics facility which they can access, security agencies can get products developed as per local needs.

The facility in Hyderabad is DuPont's first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific and the fifth in the world for conducting tests on protection materials in ballistics applications. The company's other centres are located at Richmond (Virginia), Wilmington (Delaware) and Meyrin (Switzerland) and Paulina (Brazil).

"We will work with DRDO, ordnance factories and security agencies to provide the right solution for security needs in India. Our aim is to help protect those who protect us," DuPont president (South Asia), Rajeev Vaidya, said at a news conference at the DKC in Genome Valley near Shamirpet.

Security forces and law enforcement agencies can use of the international testing facilities at the complex to device solutions for their specific needs. According to Jeroen B Jacobs, global marketing director, DuPont Protection Technologies, protection needs varied from country to country as per prevailing situation. He added that Kevlar (a high-strength material), was extremely well suited to make jackets that could give protection against bullets and sharp weapons.

According to Yati Waghray, technology leader at the Knowledge Centre, even within the country, security agencies working in different environments are known to have very specific protection needs and expressed confidence that the ballistics facility would help in the development and testing of gear measured up to those requirements.