DRDO`s Advanced Chaff Technology to protect IAF fighter aircraft against hostile radar threats

NEW DELHI: Defence Laboratory Jodhpur (DLJ), a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) lab, has developed an advanced chaff technology to safeguard Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets against hostile radar threats.

DLJ developed the advanced Chaff material and chaff cartridge-118/I in collaboration with High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), a Pune based laboratory of DRDO, meeting qualitative requirements of IAF. 

The Indian Air Force has started the process of induction of this technology after the completion of successful user trials, a government release said. 

In today’s electronic warfare, the survivability of fighter aircraft is of prime concern because of advancements in modern radar threats. To ensure the survivability of aircraft, Counter Measure Dispensing System (CMDS) is used which provides passive jamming against Infra-Red and radar threats. Chaff is a critical defence technology used to protect fighter aircraft from hostile radar threats, the release said. 

The importance of this technology lies in the fact that a very less quantity of chaff material deployed in the air acts as a decoy to deflect enemy’s missiles for ensuring the safety of the fighter aircraft. This DRDO-developed technology has been given to the industry for production in large quantities to meet the annual rolling requirement of the Indian Air Force, the added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has lauded DRDO, IAF and the industry for indigenous development of this critical technology, terming it as one more step of DRDO towards ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ in strategic defence technologies. 

Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy has congratulated the teams associated with the successful development of this advanced technology that will further strengthen the Indian Air Force.