Ancient Indian Rockets in UK Museum

[Guest guest]

Tipu's contribution to Rocket Technology

By Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Current President of India

 

"..two of the war rockets captured by British at Srirangapatana have

been displayed in the Museum of Artillery at Woolwich in London."

 

Source: The History of Indian Rocketry,

By Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

(Director Defence Research & Development Laboratory Hydaerabad,

India)

 

Rocket technology engulfed me for two decades since my visit to

Srirangapatna in 1960. The question continued to haunt me - "How

Tipu Sultan would have led to the world's first war rocket?What

environment was responsible for the birth, of such a technological

innovation in our country". In August 1974 I received a paper

presented by Frank H.Winter of National Air and Space Museum

Washington USA, titled "The Rocket in India from ancient times to

the 19th century". This highly researched paper presented the `Agni

Astra' from Vedik hymns to Tipu's war rocket with eighteen classic

references. Winter's conclusion is startling for the Indian

Scientific Community. He says, "Thus, it is fair to suggest that the

venerable rocket from the subcontinent of India may well have had

its technological impact upon the West. If so, in retrospect, it was

an important, if subtle, a technological transfer of recent

history. "

Many such researchers have to spring up in our Universities as well.

Soon, I learnt that two of the war rockets captured by British at

Srirangapatana have been displayed in the Museum of Artillery at

Woolwich in London. One of my missions during my visit to Europe in

1980 was to study this rocket. Dr.VR.Gowarkar and I visited the

museum. It was a great thrill especially for Rocket technologists

like us, to see an Indian innovation in a foreign soil well

preserved and with facts not distorted.

Under the heading "India's War Rocket", the following details are

recorded in the Woolwhich museum London. The motor casing of this

rocket is made of steel with multi nozzle holes with the sword blade

as the warhead. The propellant used was packed gunpowder. Weight of

the rocket is about 2kg. With about 1kg of propellant. 50mm in dia

about 250mm length, the range performance is reported 900mts to 1.5

km. Our designers analyzed and confirmed their performance. What a

simple and elegant design effectively used in war!

 

The text above is an sourced from the homage paid to Tipu Sultan by,

Dr. Abdul Kalam during the Hazrath Tipu Sultan Shaheed Memorial

Lecture

organised by the Al-Ameen Educational Society Bangalore on 30th Nov

1991.

Dr Kalam is currently the President of India