The empowered committee of the Ministry of Defence has given its go-ahead to the use of a bullet-proof jacket designed by Bengali scientist and professor Shantanu Bhowmick.
The ultra lightweight, thermoplastic jacket can be manufactured completely through indigenous technology. Notably, this is the first time in 70 years that the Indian Army will have bullet-proof jackets manufactured completely in India. According to reports, Bhowmick, the departmental head of aerospace engineering in Coimbatore’s Amrita University, has dedicated this jacket to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
It is made from completely indigenous thermoplastic technology. The report added that its manufacturing will begin once it gets approval from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched the `Make in India` initiative on September 25, 2014, with the primary goal of making India a global manufacturing hub.The product will be included in the ‘Make in India’ project, say reports. Bhowmick joined hands with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and the Ministry of Defence to design the jacket.
At present, jackets used by the military and paramilitary forces are being imported from the US and each costs Rs 1.5 lakh. However, Bhowmick’s design will cost Rs 50,000 per jacket. This means, it will bring down the defence spending by Rs 20,000 crore annually.
Also, the bullet proof jackets currently being used by thr Army, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and police personnel are heavy, weighing between 15 and 18 kilograms. The new version weighs almost eight times less at about just 1.5 kilograms.
It has 20 layers and the carbon fiber in it will enable the jacket to work in 57 degrees Celsius also.
