Rajagopal P Swamy
C
hennai:The Ordnance Clothing Factory (OCF) in Avadi, Chennai,a unit of Troops Comfort Ltd (TCL),a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Defence,has marked a significant milestone by dispatching its first-ever export consignment.
General Manager,Mr.B.S.Reddy,flagged off the shipment from the OCF premises this evening.
The consignment,comprising over 4,500 military uniforms worth Rs.1.71 crore, is destined for the Republic of Suriname.
This gesture by the Ministry of Defence under the Defence Diplomacy Fund aims to strengthen the bilateral relationship between India and Suriname.
Established in 1961,OCF Avadi has a long history of supplying crucial defense products to the Indian armed forces, paramilitary forces, and state police,including during the India-China War (1962), the India-Pakistan War (1971),and the Kargil War (1999).
The factory manufactures a wide range of items,from uniforms and tents to parachutes,bulletproof jackets, and helmets.
OCF’s research and development efforts have led to significant advancements in armoring technology.Their portfolio includes armored vehicle protection, bullet-resistant jackets and vests (supplied to the Tamil Nadu Police),bomb suits and armored vehicle protection for the Puducherry Police, and ballistic helmets for the Uttarakhand Police and DRDO Hyderabad.
They have also developed fragmentation protection suits and ultra-lightweight ballistic helmets (successfully trialed at the National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar) capable of handling Threat Level IIIA.
The ultra-lightweight helmet weighs just 0.9 kg, a significant reduction from the standard 1.35 kg variant.
Currently,OCF is engaged in an ambitious “Future Soldier System” project, focusing on developing comprehensive and technologically advanced clothing solutions for modern soldiers.
They have successfully developed and supplied items such as BRJ Level–6,vehicle armoring,fragment suits, full-body protectors,bomb blankets,bomb disposal suits, and lightweight ballistic helmets.
OCF collaborates with prestigious institutions like IIT Madras,IIT Roorkee,and CSIR labs such as AMPRI Bhopal and CECRI Karaikudi to drive innovation in defense equipment.
The flagging-off ceremony was attended by,M.Jaya Singh,PRO (Defence) Chennai,along with other OCF officers and employees.
This export order to Suriname represents a new chapter for OCF Avadi,demonstrating its capabilities on the international stage.