Dr. Vikram Sarabhai wanted to develop a Rocket Assisted Take Off System (RATO) for military aircraft, to make take-off and landing easy in the Himalayan region. Approved by the then-prime minister and headed by Dr. Kalam, this project was completed within 18 months.
Along with fiberglass motor casing, Dr. Kalam incorporated safety measures into a diaphragm that expanded when the temperature was raised twice the normal rate. The construction of a missile panel in the Ministry of Defence was the second step during the RATO project. Dr. Kalam was one of the panelists. Since much of the equipment had to be imported and was costly, Dr. Kalam instructed his assistants to create their own parts!
On October 8, 1972, the RATO system was successfully launched at the Bareilly Air Force Station. Dr. Kalam, by using local parts, saved approximately 40 million rupees in foreign exchange. The Indian RATO was much cheaper than its counterpart in other countries.
Picture Credit : Google