NEW DELHI: Research and development work on the indigenous ship defence missile Trishul will be stopped in December, official sources confirmed here on Saturday. Instead, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) will focus on developing an advanced version of the Israeli Barak missile, now in the middle of a controversy following allegations of bribery in its imports.

The sources said Trishul was intended only as a technology demonstrator, meaning work on it would have formed the basis for developing missiles of the same category. They implied that the missile was not intended for induction in the Indian Navy although statements at various points of time by DRDO scientists suggested otherwise. At least 50 trials have been conducted and nearly Rs. 300 crore has been spent on developing the Trishul, which is meant to shoot down missiles homing in on a ship.

The decision could cast a shadow on two other missiles — Akash and Nag — being developed by the DRDO as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. While the DRDO has managed to develop Nag, meant to destroy tanks, it has had little success with the advanced versions, available off the shelf in the global armaments market for a decade. Akash's case is also the same and the Indian Air Force is understood to be hunting for alternatives abroad.

Officials do not think that the current controversy would inhibit the joint development of the next generation of Barak, which would be effective in a range of 60 km instead of the present 9 km. According to the CBI investigation, the Navy imported the Barak anti-missile systems and missiles despite DRDO objections and a middleman allegedly paid Rs. 2 crore to the then president of a political party.

Barak, the only choice

Barak remained the only choice out of 14 companies tried out by the Navy on its three ships INS Brahmputra, Beas and Betwa that were readied for Trishul fitment after the then programme chief A.P.J. Abdul Kalam assured the Government that the indigenous missile would be ready by 1994.

However, none of the 13 missile systems except Barak could fit in the space made on the ships.

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