MIDHANI HAS EXPORTED TO ABOUT 10 COUNTRIES IN US, EUROPE AND ASIA PACIFIC GEOGRAPHIES

MIDHANI is now producing complete spectrum of armour products made of composites as well as armour steel including helmets, BR patkas, BR shield, etc., explains DR S K JHA, Chairman and Managing Director, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited in this one-on-one with GEOPOLITICS

- DR S K JHA

With over 70 percent of your products on offer to the strategic sectors of the country, you have a critical role to play in the manufacture and production of key equipment and process. How do you ensure that you are able to meet this critical need efficiently year on year?

MIDHANI has been set up with a view to achieve self-reliance in production and supply of various super alloys, special steels, special materials to defence and other strategic sectors i.e nuclear, aeronautical and space applications. However, MIDHANI is not a defence equipment manufacturer. MIDHANI manufactures materials and intermediate products which are used by OEM to manufacture equipment/platform for defence sector.

With about 49 years of glorious past, MIDHANI has become a trusted strategic material partner for critical programmes of the country such as (a) Missiles: Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Trishul, Nag; (b) Aerospace: MiG, Su-30MKI, LCA, Kaveri engine; (c) Army: T- 72/T 90 tanks, Mi-17 helicopter armouring; (d) Indian Navy; (e) Space launch programmes: PSLV/ GSLV/GSLV MK-III, Gaganyaan, Mangalyaan; (f) Nuclear energy (Fast Breeder Reactor, PHWRs). Some of the major indigenisation initiatives of critical components/ products are steel armour and composite armour, Bulletproof Morcha, lightweight bulletproof jacket, Bhabha Kavach, armoured vehicles for defence forces and state police, Titanium Casting for naval and space application, Spider Casting for space application, Isothermally forged titanium alloy high-pressure compressor discs for compressor of aero engines for military aircraft, Rolled Homogenous Armour (RHA) steel for penetration test of missiles, etc. MIDHANI has gone long way to emerged as a "National Centre for Excellence" in advanced metals and alloys.