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The Indian Army is on a global hunt to speed up its process of the induction of mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for surveillance, intelligence and detection of NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical) in the battlefield scenario.
India has asserted that these UAVs must be superior in stealth and lethality and must be able to carry warheads and explosives. The mini UAVs must be modular and light to enable man-pack carriage by two or three soldiers.
According to the specifications of the Indian Army, the mini UAV must have a range of 60 kilometres, maximum operating ceiling of 25,000 feet, maximum weight of 40 kilograms and minimum endurance of four hours with a standard fuel tank.
In addition to the mini UAV, there is a ‘micro’ UAV which is being sought which will have a range of 15 kilometres, maximum operating ceiling of 25,000 feet, maximum weight of 30 kilograms and a minimum of two hours endurance. These remotely piloted UAVs will specialize in detection-recognition-identification of human targets besides having capability of communication, intelligence, post-strike damage assessment and NBC detection roles.
Presently, India has 100 UAVs from Israel and more being inducted in phases. Other UAVs which have served India well is the ‘Heron’ and the ‘Searcher-II’ from Israel. Adding to the mix will be the Harpy killer UAVs which operate like cruise missiles and detect and destroy enemy radars. As of now, the Indian Army is busy inducting the new squadrons of ‘Heron’ UAVs from Israel.
Indian Armed Forces are gearing towards inducting armed UAVs which will incorporate missiles and laser designators and will replace the manned aerial fighter jets. Ultimately, India will be looking at Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCLA) long range tactical and bombing missions.
As for the mini UAVs, these will be deployed in the terror-struck regions of Jammu and Kashmir as well as the north-eastern Indian parts. The Indian Army will be equipping its forces right from the Special Forces (Para) level down to the battalion level with the phased induction of these UAVs by the end of 2017.
Close on the heels of this global hunt comes a surprise move from the Indian Government which has allowed the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) to choose a domestic partner for the joint development and production of the Rs 1000 crore indigenous medium altitude UAV project called Rustom.
This indigenous Rustom project will be a pioneering act because till now, the laboratories under DRDO developed a system, built a prototype, conducted field trials and transferred the technology to an agency. With the Rustom programme, there is a shift towards concurrent engineering practice. This implies that the primary design efforts will take into account the production issues and the production agency will also participate in the development of the system from the design stage. Besides, it will also develop required infrastructure for the product and its support.
According to ADE officials, the RFP will be issued to the Tata Group, Larsen & Toubro, Godrej Industries and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited- Bharat Electronics in a joint bid. The chosen production agency cum development partner (PADP) will have a financial stake in the Rustom project. The selection is likely to take close to 18 months. ADE has conceptualized the Rustom project and it ensures technology transfer of the design and other aspects to the partner.
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