Visit to DRDO Chandipur

My day started at 5 am in the morning. I don't usually wake up so early in the morning but this was a special day. I was included in an exclusive group of 30 students, who had been invited by the college, to go on a trip to the Defence Research and Development Organization in Chandipur, Balasore, Odisha, also known as Chandipur-on-Sea.

I was ready by 6 am and left the hostel to proceed to the rendezvous. I was baffled when I learnt that a good number of our college's higher authorities and faculty would also be going with us, by another bus. We had our breakfast at a nearby food stall which had cooked the first assortment of the day. With our tummies full, we boarded the bus and our journey began. It was a sunny but breezy day so we were quite comfortable. Everyone was extremely excited and in very high spirits. An inevitable round of "Antakshari" left me embarrassed (because I don't listen to many popular songs ...haha!) but everyone else sang in chorus.

 A long ride of about 5 hours brought us to the massive gateway of DRDO. Before we could grab the opportunity to click "selfies" in front of it, we were inside the gargantuan complex. Our buses came to a halt for getting passes to enter into the ITR (Integrated Test Range) Complex. Previously it was called Interim Test Range. A large statue of a man bearing a missile on his shoulder decorated the entrance. We were taken to a building where we were ushered into a small seminar hall. A scientist lectured us on test facility, its various organisational constituents, departments and sections. We were briefed on the equipment used to track a missile during testing and the various procedures involved during a test. Plessey surveillance radar, electro-optical tracking system (mobile and fixed), S-band tracking radar (KAMA-N) (mobile), C-band tracking radar (PCMC) (fixed), telemetry band (fixed and mobile), range computer, close-circuit television system, photo processing system, meteorological system, and range safety system, etc., are a few of the equipment that we were briefed about. Then an official video of an arsenal of Indian defence missiles like Agni (I-V), BrahMos, Dhanush, Lakshya, Prithvi (I-III, Akash, Trishul, Nag, Shaurya, Astra, Nirbhay, Prahaar, Helina etc. that were tested here, was shown. Excitement was overt in the audience.

After that, we had our lunch at the DRDO guest house which stands just next to the Balasore beach under DRDO territory. Everyone quickly finished their lunch and moved to the beach to find out about the rumours they heard about it. It is such a beach that one could walk a kilometre into the water and yet the water level would only be ankle deep. Lots of photos were taken and selfies overflowed in the mobile galleries. Once we were done with it, we boarded the bus to scout the territory.

All of a sudden, a series of loud bangs made everyone jump in their seats. We were asked to relax as the sound was emanating from the Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE), a test range for non-missile munitions, where no outsiders are allowed. The massive expanse of the campus took us a solid 45 minutes to roam. Then we went to the launch complex from where the first BrahMos was fired. It was home of two launchers. One for vertical firing and another for mobile launching. It was enthralling to behold the magnificent equipment. We were told how the shed of the vertical launcher moves out to allow the launcher to orient itself for the launch. There were Electro-Optical Trackers and RADARs positioned nearby. There was a camouflaged bunker in the launch complex from where the missile launch can be directly controlled. The Indian UAV Lakshya is also sent for test flights from the same complex. Soon after, we were back on the bus and as the sun edged west, it was time for us to return.

The journey back to our college was uneventful except for a stop at a hotel where we had refreshments. Throughout the journey we discussed how amazing our visit was and we looked forward to tell our experience to friends who couldn't visit the facility. All in all, the trip was a memorable one which gave us much to think about and consider a career in research and development.