DFRL develops low-cost sea dye cakes to help in rescue missions

Bengaluru: In the event of an emergency landing or crash by a military aircraft on the high seas, the rescue mission becomes highly challenging as identifying the spot of the accident is no easy task. While the Indian armed forces currently depend on imported sea dye cakes, costing Rs 3,000 each, to mark the spot of the crash or emergency landing to attract the attention of the rescue aircraft, the Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) in Mysuru has now developed indigenous cakes, costing just Rs 400 each to do the job just as easily.

Sharing details about the product with this newspaper, Dr Pal Murugan, a scientist at the DRFL said, "We have already supplied our sea dye cakes to 16 BRD Army Aviation. The dye is of international MIL-S standards. Once it is placed in the life vest pockets it dissolves in water, creating a bright fluorescent green pattern, which is easily identifiable from even as high up as 3,000 feet in the air.” The green pattern is eco-friendly and does not pollute the sea, according to him. “It is visible for nearly an hour and fades away later due to the movement of the tides. And now that it is affordable,  the sea dye can be used by smaller boats and ferries too should they be involved in accidents,” he added.