From the cold environs of Siachen to the extreme heat of the Thar desert, no climate condition is too extreme for this company in Dabaspet, about 72km north-west of Bengaluru, which has been aiding simulation testing of military equipment. Military equipment is put to service in all kinds of environments, but can't always be tested on the field given the time and logistical constraints. This results in failures of sub-systems, as India learned during the 1999 Kargil conflict. While countries like the US have spent millions of dollars over several years to test such equipment in simulated conditions and make the final product more adaptive to such places, India has been import-dependent. In its quiet workspace, CM Environs (CME), which simulates all types of climate for military-grade testing, is slowly changing that with 48 of the 58 Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) labs being its clients. The firm provides chambers for testing of equipment in several big-ticket projects like Agni, India's ballistic missiles programme.

Prajwal said the chamber is capable of simulating sand and dust particles in sizes less than 500 and 20 microns, respectively. While the particle simulation is one thing, the other is the wind speed. All these particles are carried by the wind at different speeds causing different types of damage.

"We can simulate a wind speed of up to 29 metre/second, at which speed the product experiences accelerated stress. Also we can simulate -70°C to 180°C in a controlled manner and also simulate relative humidity," Prajwal said.