Now dolphins may deliver mines on enemy ships

Talking to reporters here this afternoon, O.P. Yadav, Additional General Manager of Ammunition Factory, Kirkee (AFK), which produces and supplies the under-water mine to the Navy, told reporters that the limpet mines are capable of blowing up ships of any size.

He said the use of dolphins — considered as the most intelligent among living beings — had been mooted at a meeting between the AFK and Navy personnel over a year ago to negate the human risk involved in delivering underwater mines.

Such a mission requires a Naval diver to carry the mine to an enemy ship and fix it at a vulnerable spot on the ship’s hull. The explosive device, weighing around 6.5 kg, operates on a mechanical and electrical timer and has a magnetic base that helps fix the mine.

‘‘The diver is required to swim a long distance to reach the target,’’ Yadav said, adding, ‘‘the element of fear, irrespective of courage, always exists during missions of this kind.’’ The Navy had cleared the idea and the trials have shown favourable results.

Yadav described the development and production of limpet mines and chaff rockets for the Navy’s anti-missile system as the most striking achievements of the AFK. This has put the country among a select band of nations possessing such technology, he said.