Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over the Medium Range-Microwave Obscurant Chaff Rocket (MR-MOCR) to the Indian Navy at a ceremony held in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Microwave Obscurant Chaff (MOC), a niche technology developed by DRDO’s Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur, obscures radar signals and creates a microwave shield around platforms and assets, thus reducing radar detection.
Special types of fibres, with a diameter of a few micrometres and unique microwave obscuration properties, have been assembled in the medium-range chaff rocket. The rocket, when fired, forms microwave obscurant clouds in space spreading over a sufficient area, with adequate persistence time, thus creating an effective shield against hostile threats having Radio Frequency seekers.
The Phase-I trials of MR-MOCR were successfully conducted from Indian Navy ships, demonstrating the MOC cloud blooming and being persistent in space. In Phase-II trials, the Radar Cross Section (RCS) reduction of an aerial target to the extent of 90 per cent has been demonstrated and cleared by the Indian Navy. The number of MR-MOCRs meeting all the qualification requirements has been successfully handed over to the Indian Navy.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented DRDO and the Indian Navy on the successful development of MR-MOCR. He termed the MOC technology as another step towards achieving Aatmanirbharta in defence.