What is the news?
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has handed over technology to manufacture indigenous extreme cold weather clothing systems (ECWS) to five Indian companies.
What is an Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS)?
ECWCS is a three layered cloth required by the Indian Army for its sustained operations in glacier and Himalayan peaks.
Note: Till now, Indian Army has been importing extreme cold weather clothing and several Special Clothing and Mountaineering Equipment (SCME) items for the troops deployed in high altitude regions.
What are the key features of ECWCS?
Firstly, it is an ergonomically designed modular technical clothing that provides physiological comfort and thermal insulation over a temperature range of +15 to -50° Celsius.
Secondly, the cloth has several features like reduction in respiratory heat and water loss, rapid absorption of sweat, water proof, wind proof with adequate breathability and enhanced insulation as well as strength features required for high altitude operations.
What is the significance of ECWCS?
Considering the widely fluctuating weather conditions in the Himalayan peaks, the clothing is a viable import alternative for the Indian Army.
Moreover, it can only cater to the existing requirements of the Army but also can be exported.
Source: This post is based on the article ‘DRDO hands over technology of extreme cold weather clothing system ECWCS to five Indian companies’ published in PIB on 28th Dec 2021.
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