To meet the future requirements of programmable radios, the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) has collaborated with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to develop indigenous radio frequency power amplifiers.
Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (DEAL), DRDO, is working on it. Prof Karun Rawat’s research group at IIT Roorkee and a group of scientists and engineers led by Pinaki Sen from DEAL, DRDO designed these amplifiers to meet high-efficiency requirements (for thermal management) while also providing good linearity for signal fidelity.
The designs have been optimised for Size, Weight, and Power at the same time (SWaP). These amplifier units outperform many similar products from global manufacturers, achieving high efficiency and gain while also providing good harmonic and intermodulation suppression. IIT Roorkee stated
“The lack of indigenous components poses a severe challenge to R&D organizations such as in integrating the entire defense equipment in a given timeline from the armed forces. The scientific rigor of an academic R&D has a high potential to bring innovative designs to bolster cutting-edge technology development. However, the challenge is to direct such scientific investigations to product-oriented exercises through collaborative efforts with R&D labs,” said the IIT.
Easy integration in programmable radio chassis
The increased efficiency will result in a significant reduction in heat load, allowing for easy integration in the programmable radio chassis in the required form factor. The unit will be assembled with indigenous radio units from DEAL and DRDO, and will be mass-produced by private domestic partners.
Prof Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, said, “With Make in India emerging as a powerful beacon to guide the development of defense technologies, we need to synergise the strengths of the government research agencies, industries as well as academics institutions to make India a truly global player in major defense technologies and systems.”
Lal Chand Mangal, Director, DEAL DRDO, remarked, “DEAL DRDO with its charter to do research, design, and development is geared up for the development of such futuristic technologies indigenously by involving academia and industry in a big way, to maintain and support India’s Defence system.”
Prof. Karun Rawat, Department of Electronics & Communication, IIT Roorkee, said” “Keeping in tune with India’s mission for technological upgradation, the current R&D feat of Technology focus is a glimpse of the improvements to existing capabilities and also bringing up new capabilities.”
