Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam 🇮🇳
Scientist & Former President of India
DRDO / ISRO
Biography
Aerospace scientist who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007, widely known as the "Missile Man of India".
Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was an Indian aerospace scientist who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He worked with DRDO and ISRO on India's ballistic missile and space launch vehicle programmes, and was closely associated with the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998.
Career
1969 – 1980
Project Director, SLV-III
ISRO
1982 – 1992
Director, DRDL
DRDO
1992 – 1999
Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister
Government of India
1999 – 2001
Principal Scientific Adviser
Government of India
2002 – 2007
President of India
Government of India
Awards & Honours
Bharat Ratna
Government of India · 1997
Padma Vibhushan
Government of India · 1990
Padma Bhushan
Government of India · 1981
Books & Publications
Wings of Fire
Universities Press · 1999
Ignited Minds
Penguin Books · 2002
Photos
3 photosFrequently Asked Questions
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was an Indian aerospace scientist who worked with DRDO and ISRO and later served as the eleventh President of India from 2002 to 2007. He is widely described as the Missile Man of India for his association with Indian missile development work.
He spent much of his career in national research organisations working on rocketry and missile development, and he held senior scientific and advisory positions in the defence research establishment. He died in 2015, and his professional record continues to be cited across the Indian defence sector.
Defence Street indexes people as well as organisations because the sector is often navigated through the figures who shaped its programmes. This profile keeps to publicly established professional matters, and it links out to the organisations he was associated with during his career.
At a Glance
| Born | 15 Oct 1931 |
| Died | 27 Jul 2015 (aged 83) |
| Birthplace | Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu |
| Nationality | 🇮🇳 India |
| Profession | Scientist |
| Known For | Missile Man of India |