New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS): Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister G. Satheesh Reddy has been conferred the prestigious Silver Medal of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) in London, a statement said on Monday.

Reddy is the first defence scientist working in India to be honoured with the medal.

RAeS is a British-founded multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. It is the oldest aeronautical society in the world.

The society has been honouring outstanding achievers in the global aerospace industry since 1909, when Wilbur and Orville Wright came to London to receive the society's first Gold Medal.

Reddy, an eminent missile scientist, has made pioneering contributions to navigation and avionics technologies. He took over his post as the 12th scientific adviser to the defence minister in June this year.

He steered many defence projects and programmes as director of Research Centre Imarat and provided necessary thrust to the development of critical technologies.