BDL Visakhapatnam to soon have an Environmental Testing Facility (ETF)

The Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) unit in Visakhapatnam will soon have India’s first, and one of its kind, Environmental Testing Facility (ETF). The ETF stimulates the effect of grounds as well as on-orbit environments for space hardware and various climatic & transportation environments for ground hardware. This facility will include a Walking Chamber, a Thermal Chamber, and a Vibrating Facility for the whole torpedo. Due to its unique state-of-the-art facility, the vibration test of the whole torpedo, of 8-meter length and 2 tons of weight, can be carried out at a time.

Eastern Naval Command’s (ENC) Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta laid the foundation stone on Friday for establishing the Environmental Testing Facility in Vizag’s BDL unit. Speaking at the event, Commodore (Retd) Siddharth Mishra, CMD, BDL, said, “The facility will be a first of its kind in the country and will contribute towards the further realisation of ‘Atma Nirbharta’ in the Defence sector. The facility, once operational, will enhance BDL’s capability in the testing infrastructure for torpedoes and underwater weapons.”

Bharat Dynamics Limited has three manufacturing units in the country and the BDL unit in Visakhapatnam has been exclusively set up to manufacture torpedoes and other underwater weapons for the Indian Navy. These units play a pivotal role in the manufacturing process of defense equipment. The Environmental Testing Facility will help execute the vibration tests that need to be carried out in real-time under a stimulated situation to access the functionality.

BDL has of late endeavoured into the international market and has also executed an export order of torpedoes. It’s also gearing up to take orders of Counter Measure System, Anti-Tank Guided Missile, Surface-to-Air Missiles, Air-to-Air Missiles, and Air-to-Surface Missiles.

The foundation stone event was graced by dignitaries from the Defence, the Indian Navy, and senior officials from CINA, NSTL. BDL’s Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) Commodore Siddharth Mishra (Retd.), BDL’s Director (Technical) NP Diwakar, BDL’s Executive Director (KBU & PSG) Commodore A Madhava Rao (Retd), and BDL’s General Manager & Visakhapatnam Unit Head SV Kameswar were also present.