"We are going to have surface-to-air missile which will be on the move, tracking...We are also working (on) missiles...Stop and launch within a few seconds. We are also working on man-portable anti-tank missile which can be fired from shoulders. We are planning to bring out these systems within the next four years," Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister Avinash Chander said.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an international conference on advanced avionics, Chander, who is also the Chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said "if you see, our cycle-time used to be 8 years to 10 years for the systems...Now we are talking of delivering it in 4-5 years."
Asked when the country would stop importing missiles, he said the aim is to have adequate capability in this field by 2020-22, adding, an infra-red (IR) seeker detector facility would be set up in the country. "Our target is thereafter (2022) we should not have to import any class of missiles."
Chander said DRDO is working on multi-range missiles, and also short-range surface-to-air missiles.
"We are working on other variations also, so that we have total envelope of surface-to-air capabilities. In future, we will aim to work on longer range missile of 200-plus kms. We are working on cruise missiles which will cover ship launch, air launch, submarine launch and ground launch versions. We are expecting the second test-launch of Nirbhay (missile) to happen within a month," he said.