NIT-Tiruchi alumnus remembered for the success of Akash missile systems

The Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) system that has been deployed in the recent India-Pakistan hostilities has a Tiruchi connection. The project’s director Ramprasad Ramakrishna Panyam was a graduate of Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology – Tiruchi, of the 1971-76 batch.

The Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) system that has been deployed in the recent India-Pakistan hostilities has a Tiruchi connection. The project’s director Ramprasad Ramakrishna Panyam was a graduate of Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology – Tiruchi, of the 1971-76 batch.

Panyam passed away due to a massive cardiac arrest in 2012 at the age of 58, when he was working as the associate director of Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad.

His contribution to the success of the Akash missile has drawn attention from defence experts.

“The project was conceived in 1980s, but took over two decades to succeed, because of electronic connectivity problems, and the completely new materials being used. Mr. Panyam took over in 2002 when Akash was facing several issues. He systematically analysed all the problems, connected with the users, and took about two to three years to bring the project up to a stage of industry acceptance and production,” Srinivasan Sundarrajan, former director of NIT-T and a colleague of Panyam on the project, told The Hindu on Monday.

NIT-T conferred a posthumous Distinguished Alumnus award on R.R. Panyam during its golden jubilee in 2014.

“While newer and more innovative SAMs have been developed indigenously, the Akash remains the pioneering role model, largely due to Mr. Panyam’s contribution. I have worked closely with him during the project, and remember his simplicity and humble nature,” said Mr. Sundarrajan.

The Akash is in the same class as the U.S. Patriot missile. It is equipped to destroy targets 25 km away, has a supersonic speed of 600 metres a second, and can intercept targets such as the cruise missile and unmanned aerial vehicles. Mr. Panyam contributed in the design and development of solid fuel integrated rocket Ramjet for the Akash.