India gains MTCR membership: Top things to know

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What is MTCR?

Missile Technology Control Regime is an anti-proliferation group of 34 nations that aims to limit the spread of ballistic missiles and other unmanned delivery systems that could be used for chemical, biological, and nuclear attacks.

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Sale of BrahMos

India can now sell to other countries the supersonic BrahMos missiles that it manufactures jointly with Russia. Vietnam is one country that has expressed it interest in buying BrahMos missiles.

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Buying surveillance drones

To counter Chinese incursions, India wants the US's Avenger drone, which is basically an unmanned combat air vehicle. India also wants Predator XP category, which is a surveillance version, for internal security and terrorist threats. The US might also consider exporting UAVs, Reaper and Global Hawk, which have been key to counter-terrorism efforts in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen.

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Boost to Make in India

Indigenous technology under the Make in India flagship will have free movement acros the globe. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems produces the Predator series of remotely piloted aircraft.


"GA-ASI is very interested in opportunities to work with new international industrial partners. We focus on identifying those opportunities that leverage the strengths and growth capabilities of new partners to enhance the already impressive capabilities delivered by Predator-series RPA," an GA-ASI official said.

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Procuring Israel's Arrow II missile

India wanted to procure Arrow II theatre missile defence interceptor from Israel for development of Ballistic Missile System. However, due to the sanctions from the MTCR, it was denied permission to do so. Now that India has got itself a full time membership, procurement of Arrow II is no more a distant dream. This would be a step ahead when it comes to defending the country against Chinese and Pakistani missiles.

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Benefit to ISRO

Let’s go into history for a while, ISRO wanted to build its own cryogenic engine to avoid dependencies on other countries to launch satellites in the 1990's. Moreover, the cryogenic engines India imported were way too expensive. Russia had agreed to sell two engines along with full Transfer of Technology (ToT) but the Americans blocked the move under the MTCR Treaty of which Russia was a member nation fearing that India would in fact use these engines to make Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) although everyone knew there is no relation between an ICBM and a cryogenic engine.


Fast forward to 2010, India's first cryogenic engine is put on a GSLV rocket and it all goes horribly wrong. The rocket veered off course with many speculating that the cryogenic engines did not even ignite. However, the indigenous cryogenic engine was used on the GSLV D5 and it resulted in a successful launch.

The Americans wanted to push our space program back in time and they were mighty successful in doing that. It did take us 20 years to make our own cryogenic engines and the technology is yet to be mastered.

With India having signed the MTCR, ISRO may seek foreign help in fine tuning the cryogenic engines CE 7.5 and CE 20. It may also seek assistance to tame the rogue boy of the Indian Space Program the GSLV, which capable of carrying heavier payloads than the PSLV Rockets.

[boeing747]

gp.