Avinash Chander: Architect of the Agni Missile Programme

On 31 January 2015, DRDO test-fired the Agni-V missile for the third time. The same day, the man who had led its development stepped down as DRDO chief.

Must Know

• Avinash Chander is an Indian scientist, widely regarded as a chief architect of India’s Agni series of ballistic missiles.
• He trained in Electrical Engineering at IIT Delhi, then joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• He later earned an MS in Spatial Information Technology, and a doctorate, from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad.
• He served as Programme Director of the Agni missile programme, overseeing tests including the Agni-IV, on 19 September 2012.
• From 1 June 2013 to 31 January 2015, he served as the 11th Director General of DRDO, and Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister.

Good to Know

• Before leading DRDO, he headed its Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), the lab responsible for developing India’s long-range missile systems.
• As Chief Controller (R&D), he also served as Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, before his 2013 appointment as DRDO’s Director General.
• His tenure as DRDO chief ended on 31 January 2015, when the government did not renew his contract, after 42 years of service at DRDO.
• His successor as DRDO Director General was S. Christopher.
• He received the DRDO Scientist of the Year award in 1989, recognising his early contributions to missile technology.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. Avinash Chander is widely regarded as a chief architect of which series of Indian ballistic missiles?

The Prithvi series

The Agni series

The BrahMos series

The Akash series

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Great to Know

• The Government of India honoured Avinash Chander with the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian awards, in 2013.
• He also received the DRDO Award (2007), the Outstanding Technologist Award (2008), and the DRDO Technology Leadership Award (2008).
• DRDO tested the Agni-V, India’s longest-range ballistic missile, for the third time on 31 January 2015. This was the exact same day his term as DRDO chief ended.
• After leaving DRDO, he continued to be recognised for his engineering career. The Institution of Engineers (India) gave him its Eminent Engineer Award in 2016.
• His career reflects a common pattern in India’s strategic-technology institutions: decades of specialist work in one programme, culminating in leadership of the parent organisation itself.