Ramarao’s association with the project began when Akash was conceptualized in the early 1980s. When the project was sanctioned, it was called the “Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile System”. It was christened “Akash” (“Sky” in Sanskrit) by APJ Abdul Kalam, the then Director, Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad.In 1984, 35-year-old Ramarao was appointed as Project Director of the complex mission. Before that, he worked on missile control, guidance, design, modelling, and simulation aspects. Kalam wanted someone young and talented to head the project, which he realised then that it would take at least 15-20 years to complete. Ramarao ably helmed it till it matured into a lethal weapon system in India’s arsenal, guarding her skies. In 2015, he was awarded the Padma Shri.The Akash journey was not easy. Initially, the team had just six scientists. It was a young team, and Ramarao, 35, was the oldest! Of course, senior scientists working as technology directors guided the team, which grew in strength and experience over the years. It took nearly 10 years to develop the propulsion system and an equal amount of time to develop a radar for it.At one point, 1,000 scientists worked on the project in 12 laboratories across India, with Ramarao travelling frequently from Hyderabad to different cities. Those were Indian Airlines days, and its air hostesses jokingly told him that he flew more frequently than they did!
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