The Army is procuring a range of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance and target acquisition purposes—including loitering munitions for combat roles—for its artillery units deployed along India’s borders with China and Pakistan, top defence sources privy to the development have told News18.
This includes an unspecified number of mini UAVs for which internal deliberations are at an advanced stage and also loitering munitions which the Army bought last year under emergency procurement.
The planned procurements are part of the Army’s artillery modernisation plans that have picked up pace in the last decade. As part of the plans, the Regiment of Artillery is also in the process of inducting a range of latest gun systems—procured in the last few years—along the northern and eastern borders of India.
As per sources, the UAVs will aid the Observation Post (OP) Officers and Forward Observation Officers (FOO) with information gathered through surveillance in advance.
“To begin with, we will be procuring a few UAVs. But, the idea is to procure enough quantity so that every OP officer is equipped with at least one mini UAV in the future, which would help him see beyond the hill features in the high-altitude border areas,” a defence source said. High-altitude border areas are often marked by towering hill features that restrict the visibility of troops.
The Army always has OP Officers deployed at its defensive positions and an FOO—who is an artillery representative—accompanies the assaulting troops to direct artillery fire when they are advancing to capture a location.
Sources said the mini UAVs will have a range varying from 15-20 km to 75-90 km with matching endurance and will be employed for engagement of targets in tactical and depth areas.
Earlier this year, medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAVs such as the Herons and Searchers with the Regiment of Artillery were transferred to the Army Aviation Corps.
Last year, the artillery regiment also ordered an unspecified number of loitering munitions under the fast-track procedure from a joint venture firm of an Indian and a foreign manufacturer.
The loitering munitions—which are unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs)—can loiter in the air and close on the designated target and attack it by self-destructing onto it when directed. They are expected to arrive soon, the sources said.
“We are also in the process of procuring an indigenously designed and developed advance loitering weapon system with enhanced strike capability,” a second source said.
The sources said that the launchers of the loitering munition can be protected passively and actively as well—including camouflage concealment, shoot and scoot mechanism, and air defence protection, among others.
The Army has received responses from the Indian industry and several firms have expressed their capability to manufacture the weapon system, said the sources, adding that in future India can develop self-reliance and graduate as a global leader in the loitering munition technology.
Sources said there is a need to procure runway-independent UAVs to possess the sensor-to-shooter capability.
This effectively means there is a need for UAVs to observe, acquire target, direct artillery fire and carry out post-strike damage assessment matching the extended ranges of the gun and rocket systems being procured by the Army.
Read all the Latest News India and Breaking News here
Comments
0 comment