The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has handed over the technology to produce extreme cold weather clothing system (ECWCS), used by troops of the Indian Armed Forces deployed atop icy Himalayan peaks, to five Indian companies.
The ECWCS is required by the Indian Army for its sustained operations atop the glacier and the Himalayan peaks. The Army has been importing until recently extreme cold weather clothing and several special clothing and mountaineering equipment (SCME) items for the troops deployed at the high-altitude regions.
The DRDO designed ECWCS ensemble is ergonomically designed with improved thermal insulation and physiological comfort and is based on the insulation requirements at various ambient climatic conditions in the Himalayan regions during different levels of physical activity.
Explained a spokesperson for the DRDO: “The ECWCS embodies physiological concepts related to reduction in respiratory heat and water loss, an unhindered range of motions and rapid absorption of sweat, even while providing water proof, wind proof features with adequate breathability and enhanced insulation as well as strength features required for high altitude operations. The three-layered ECWCS is designed to suitably provide thermal insulation over a temperature range from 15 to -50° Celsius with different combinations of the layers and intensity of physical work.”
With considerations to the widely fluctuating weather conditions on Himalayan peaks, the clothing provides an advantage of fewer combinations to meet the required insulation, or IREQ, for the prevailing climatic conditions, thereby providing a viable import alternative for the Indian Army. Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, and Chairman, DRDO, emphasised the need for developing an indigenous industrial base for the manufacture of SCME items. This he said, will not only to cater to the existing requirements of the Army but has the potential for exports.
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