Prahlada Rama Rao | |
|---|---|
 Prahlada Rama Rao atUVCE | |
| Born | (1947-02-05)February 5, 1947 (age 78) |
| Alma mater | University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering Indian Institute of Science |
| Occupation | Missile designer |
| Years active | 1971-2015 |
| Known for | Akash missile |
| Awards | Padma Shri National Aeronautical Prize Sivananda Eminent Citizen Award DRDO Award Eminent Engineers Award HMA Life Time Achievement Award |
Prahlada Rama Rao is an Indianaerospace engineer who served as the former director ofDefence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), the largest of theDefence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) laboratories in India, known for his contributions to theIndian space programme.[1][2][3] He was honoured by theGovernment of India in 2015 with thePadma Shri, the fourth-highest Indian civilian award.[4] He was vice chancellor of theDefence Institute of Advanced Technology from 2011 to 2014.
Prahlada was born on 5 February 1947 inBangalore[2][3] in the Princely state of Mysore of India.[1] He graduated in mechanical engineering fromUniversity of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering which was affiliated withBangalore University in 1969,[5] and obtained a master's degree inaeronautical engineering from theIndian Institute of Science, withrockets and missile systems as his major.[1][2][3] He pursued his research at theJawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad,[6] where he earned a doctoral degree (PhD).[1][2]
He started his career with theGovernment of India in 1971 and has served several space and defence organizations[5] such asVikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) inThiruvananthapuram andAeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) inBengaluru before joining theDefence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) inHyderabad as its director in 1997, a post he held till 2005.[1][2][3] During this period, he also served as the chairman of theIntegrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGDMP).[2][3]In 2005, Prahlada moved toDRDO headquarters as the Chief Controller Research and Development with the additional responsibility of the Chief Controller for Aeronautical Cluster of laboratories of the organization.[1][3]
He was appointed, in 2011, as vice chancellor of theDefence Institute of Advanced Technology,[5][7] a deemed university based inPune and run by theMinistry of Defence[6] and served there until his superannuation in February 2015.[8] He holds the post of an adjunct professor at the Indian Institute of Science at its Department of Aerospace and the Department of Management Studies.[1][3]
Prahlada is a former president of Hyderabad Management Association during 2003–2004 and is reported to have organized a year-long Lecture series titledIndia - My Dream where eminent personalities were invited to deliver key lectures.[1] He held the presidency of the World Congress on Disaster Management[9] on two occasions, in 2008 and 2010.[1] He is a former chairman of the Hyderabad chapters of the Indian Society for Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (ISAMPE),[10] the Indian Society for Nondestructive Testing (ISNT)[11] and the Indian Academy of Engineering (INAE) and is a former president of the Society for Aerospace Quality and Reliability[12] (SAQR).[1][2] He is a donor member of the Alumni Association of the Indian Institute of Science and a managing trustee of the Trust for Advancement of Aerodynamics of India.[1][2] He is also a member of theConfederation of Indian Industries (CII), the National Committee on Higher Education, theMinistry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) Task Force on Institution Mechanism and Sector Innovation Council, and theFederation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) National Committee on Science and Technology.[1][2] He sits on the editorial board of the Indian journalIndian Strategic.[5]
Integrated Guided Missile Development Program, during Prahlada's tenure as its chairman, is reported to have developed several key technologies for theIndian space programme related torocket propulsion, onboardavionics,missile systems,radar systems, andhypersonic flight vehicles.[1][2][3] He is also known to have contributed to the establishment of Compact Antenna Test Range, Structural Dynamic Test Centre, Supersonic Ramjet Engine Test facility, Subsonic Ramjet Engine Test facility, 6 Component Rocket Motor Test facility, Computer Integrated Tomography, Computational Fluid Dynamics Centre, Shock Tube facility, High Temperature Material Characterization Facility, High Temperature Structural Testing and Missile System Simulation Centre forIndian Space Research Organization.[1][3] He has served as the project head forAkash, asurface to air missile system[6] and as the chief designer of many other Indian missile systems viz.Prithvi,Agni andNag.[1][2][3]
It was during Prahlada's tenure as the director,Defence Research and Development Laboratory initiated projects such asAstra air to air missile system and Long Range Surface to air missile system for Naval application.[1][2] He was involved with the project formulation, management and trials ofBrahMos Supersonic cruise missile system and submarine launched long rangeballistic missile system as programme director.[1][3][6] His contributions are also reported in the formulation of Defence Procurement Procedures 2006 and 2008.[1] His tenure at DRDO also witnessed commercialization of DRDO technologies by the organization with assistance fromFICCI.[1][2][3] As the vice chancellor ofDefence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), he was involved in introducing courses in subjects such as Technology Management, Biosciences and Defence Electronics Systems under the newly formed Department of Bioscience and Technology.[1][2][6][7] DIAT was upgraded as aCategory A University during his term there.[1]
Prahlada is a fellow of several Indian institutions and professional bodies such as Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences,Indian National Academy of Engineering,Institution of Engineers, Society for Shock Wave Research of India, Astronautical Society of India,[13] Systems Society of India,[14]Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers andAeronautical Society of India.[1][2][3] He was conferred the doctoral degree (honoris causa) bySri Venkateswara University in 2006 and by theJawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Anantapur in 2012.[1][2][3] He is a recipient of awards and honours such asDRDO Scientist of the Year, HMA – Member of the Year,IISc Distinguished Alumnus Award, Sivananda Eminent Citizen Award and Hyderabad Management Association Life Time Achievement Award.[1][2][3] He has also received National Aeronautical Prize, 2008DRDO Award and Eminent Engineers Award.
Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award.[4][5]
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