New Delhi, Mar 12: Is the programme of surface-to-air Trishul missile, one of the five missiles being developed by Defence Research and Development Orgnaisation, being shelved? Defence minister George Fernandes today appeared to indicate that in Rajya Sabha when he said Trishul missile had been de-linked from user service, though it would be continued as a technology demonstrator. "While number of complex technologies and sea-skimming capability have been established, the missile still needs to be proved for all its capabilites," he told the house in a written reply.


Fernandes said henceforth the technologies developed in the Trishul programme would be used in other futuristic missile projects.
Fernandes replied in negative whether sanctions imposed by the us leading to non-delivery of essential spares had led to the failure of the Trishul programme.


While ruling out any pull out of forces from the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, he said that in the last six months 24 infiltration bids had been foiled on the LoC in which 86 terrorists and four army personnel had been killed.
Bureau Report