Latest news with #ASivathanuPillai
News18
2 days ago
- Business
- News18
'Free Delivery For Pakistan': Old Video Of BrahMos Scientist Sparks Meme Fest
The episode, as recalled by Dr Pillai, occurred at a defence expo in the UAE where a Pakistani delegation had approached his team, evidently intrigued by BrahMos missile A sharp-witted reply by Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, the founder and CEO of BrahMos Aerospace, is once again igniting waves of laughter, and pointed jabs, across social media platforms. The resurfaced clip, showing Dr Pillai responding to a Pakistani general's query with biting humour, has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook, drawing lakhs of views and sparking a meme-fest aimed squarely at Pakistan. The now widely shared moment occurred during an interview when a Pakistani general reportedly asked Dr Pillai whether India was willing to sell the BrahMos to Middle Eastern nations. When Dr Pillai confirmed the possibility, the General followed up with a pointed question, 'Can Pakistan buy it too?" To which the missile scientist shot back without missing a beat, 'No, for Pakistan… it's a free delivery item." The episode, as recalled by Dr Pillai, occurred at a defence expo in the United Arab Emirates. A Pakistani delegation, comprising a Major General along with officers from the Air Force and Navy, had approached the BrahMos team, evidently intrigued by the high-speed cruise missile system that India has developed in collaboration with Russia. Watch the viral video: Dr Pillai said he was invited to join the discussion. With professional courtesy, he explained the technical prowess of the BrahMos missile, highlighting its Mach 3 velocity, precision targeting, and test performance, even offering to show them video footage of its live trials. That's when the Pakistani General posed the question. Dr Pillai described how the mood instantly shifted in the room and how the General's expression fell from curiosity to discomfort. 'He was stunned," Dr Pillai recalled, noting how the General turned away and left in silence, his entourage following behind. The resurfaced footage, posted on July 2 by the handle @TimesAlgebraIND, has since snowballed into a viral sensation. The viral moment has been embraced online with applause and amusement, especially in the backdrop of recent reports that the BrahMos missile was used in Operation Sindoor, India's military offensive targetting terror camps in Pakistan. Netizens flooded the viral post with sarcastic replies, with one user quipping, 'The offer of free delivery is amazing; how long should Pakistan wait?" Another wrote, 'Just send the coordinates of the terror camps, India will handle the rest." Others joined the bandwagon with mock delivery jokes, 'Order confirmed. Delivery boy is on standby." Another read, 'Delivery will reach by 9 PM. Please don't forget to open the gates." While many took the moment for its meme potential, others interpreted the viral line as a symbolic declaration of India's military superiority. One user commented, 'The meaning of free delivery is clear; now it's time to be afraid." Another wrote, 'No need to send the address, it will reach directly to the target." A recurring theme in comments was the mocking tone toward Pakistan's military capability. 'The general just had to ask, free gift was already packed!" wrote one. Some users turned up the heat even further with biting lines like, 'Who's paying for this free delivery? Pakistan better start counting the cost." Dr Pillai, who is credited with being one of the driving forces behind the development of the BrahMos missile, a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia, has not commented on the recent buzz. But for many online, his response struck the perfect balance of humor, national pride, and strategic messaging. First Published: July 03, 2025, 13:17 IST
Economic Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Birth of BrahMos: How the Gulf War ignited Dr A S Pillai's vision for one of India's deadliest missile
Inspired by the Gulf War, A Sivathanu Pillai envisioned a supersonic cruise missile for India, consulting with Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and seeking Russian collaboration. This led to a partnership with NPO Mashinostroyenia, resulting in the BrahMos, a two-stage missile capable of Mach 3 speeds, symbolizing Indo-Russian cooperation and advanced defense capabilities. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Dr A Sivathanu Pillai , often regarded as the brain behind the BrahMos missile , recently shared how the Gulf War in the 1990s sparked the idea of developing a supersonic cruise missile in India, that can reach 300 km within minutes and cause damage to the runways."So I went to Harvard in 1991. That was the time when that Gulf War was taking place. So my attention turned towards the Gulf War. And finally I found out the Tomahawk played a very crucial role there. So to destroy the assets of the enemy, to disable them, you need a cruise missile," Pillai said in an exclusive interview with CNN News 18."So then I spoke to Dr. Kalam from there, saying that we need a cruise missile. So then he said, after you complete your course, let us discuss. So we did that. Then he suggested this, you have already you are working with the Russians. Why don't you ask them? They may have the basic technology and help you. So I went to Russia, talked to them," added Pillai."So the director general, Dr. G. A. Yefremov said this, we are the only people in the whole world to have a supersonic engine. If you use that engine, your missile is a cruise missile will become a supersonic cruise missile. So I was just attracted by that," said added that Dr Dr. G. A. Yefremov showed the engine and discussed the details. "And we found that a number of tests have been done and it is fully ready. And when we wanted to take the technology for engine to India and then do it like what we have done in space, you know, we have taken the technology of the engine and then we improved it and we did all these things," added Pilai."So then there is no point in taking one piece. So then we said that we will work together. So we formed a joint team with Mr. Venugopalan, a propulsion expert from DRDL," said BrahMos missile is a two-stage weapon developed jointly by India's DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia. Its name is a blend of two rivers — India's Brahmaputra and Russia's Moskva — symbolising the Indo-Russian missile launches with a solid-fuel booster which detaches after take-off. A liquid-fuelled ramjet engine then propels it at speeds approaching Mach 3. It can cruise at altitudes of up to 15 km and strike as low as 10 metres above the ground. It is designed to follow a "fire and forget" principle — once launched, no further guidance is missile's low radar signature and high kinetic energy make it especially difficult to intercept.
