India to develop Kyrgyz torpedo testing facility
19 Sep 2011
New Delhi: In a bid to strengthen its underwater attack capabilities, India is planning to develop an existing facility in the central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan which will produce state-of-the-art torpedoes.
The existing facility of the Torpedo Testing Centre, located at Issyk Kul lake in the Karakul province, 250 km away from the capital Bishkek, is considered one of the best locations to launch and recover torpedoes fired during test trials.
''The facility was visited by defence minister AK Antony a few months ago. An Indian delegation would be visiting Kyrgyzstan soon to make an assessment of investment needed for the project and the terms and conditions for co-developing it,'' DRDO chief controller W Selvamurthy said.
To develop existing infrastructure at the centre, India has proposed to engage local companies with available know how in torpedo technology to co-develop the facility.
''India is willing to develop the centre to test all kinds of torpedoes such as heavy weight torpedoes and those having thermal navigation system,'' Selvamurthy said.
The centre has constructed a network of sensors which can monitor the speed, velocity, homing in and direction of the torpedo once it is fired. This enables scientists to make necessary modifications in the navigation system to make the missiles more accurate and fool-proof.