Indian Navy gets first-ever privately made indigenized fuze of Anti-Submarine Warfare rocket: In what is being seen as a major success for the “Make in India” initiative in defence sector, the Indian Navy has received a fully indigenised fuze for an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) underwater rocket, manufactured for the first time by a private Indian industry. This would be the first time the Indian Navy has placed a supply order for underwater ammunition fuzes with an Indian private sector industry.
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Significance of the procurement:
This marks the first time that the Indian Navy has procured an underwater ammunition fuze from an Indian private manufacturer. It is a major boost for the self-reliance of the Indian defence sector. The use of simulated dynamic trial facilities during the development and manufacturing process is also a noteworthy achievement.
What is a Fuze:
It is part of the weapon or ammunition that initiates its function. In torpedoes, the function is to explode. Fuze may have electronic or mechanical parts. There are different types of fuze namely artillery fuze, hand grenade fuze, aerial bomb fuze, landmine fuze, naval mine fuze, etc. Apart from this, there are time fuze, impact fuze, proximity fuze, barometric fuze, combination fuze, etc.
Initiation of the YDB-60:
The demand for grants to obtain the YDB-60 fuze was placed in the Standing Committee on Defence 2014-15. The demand was placed for both Medium Range Chaff Rocket and also for the RGB-60, the anti-submarine rocket. RGB-60 has received its fuze.
What is RGB-60 (Rocket Guided Bomb model 60):
It is a rocket used to hit submarines. It is 212 mm in diameter and 1830 mm in length. The range of RGB-60 is 300m to 5,500m. It operates with a two-stage motor. It is charged with Torpex. Torpex is a mixture of RDX, aluminium, and TNT. Torpex is mainly used in underwater firings.