NEW DELHI: The Army now it also wants to buy 850 indigenous nano drones for surveillance in special missions along the northern borders with China and in counter-terrorism operations through an expedited procedure.
The request for proposal (RFP) for the ’emergency procurement’ of nano drones comes after the 12 lakh military kicked off several procurement projects for different types of drones over the past few months.
Amid the ongoing 33-month military confrontation with China, the sheer operational utility of drones has been bolstered by recent conflicts ranging from Armenia-Azerbaijan to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine one.
The Army is tasked with conducting special missions in conventional operations, counter-terrorism operations, and out-of-area contingency operations, which require “enhanced situational awareness” about potential threats in intended target areas.
“Reconnaissance missions for these operations are currently physically conducted by small squads of soldiers acting as scouts. Not only does this increase the risk of casualties, but it can also jeopardize the entire operation,” said one officer.
The RFP said, “The existing unstable situation prevailing along the northern borders and inland in the disturbed areas dictates the urgent procurement of the nano drones to enhance the immediate situational awareness of the troops.” He specified that delivery must be completed within one year of signing the contract.
As TOI previously reported, the process of procuring kamikaze drones, armed drone swarms, logistics drones, and surveillance quadcopters, among others, for infantry battalions has already started.
Similarly, the Army is also proceeding with domestic procurement of 80 mini remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), 10 runway independent RPAS, 44 upgraded long-range surveillance systems and 106 inertial navigation systems to better direct to long range and high volume firepower against enemy targets for artillery regiments.
The Army also wants to purchase 12 sets of autonomous surveillance and armed drone swarms (A-SADS), each with 50-75 AI-enabled aerial vehicles that can communicate with control stations and with each other.
While seven of these sets are intended for high-altitude areas with China, the other five drone swarms are for operations in desert and plains areas along the borders with Pakistan, TOI previously reported.
The request for proposal (RFP) for the ’emergency procurement’ of nano drones comes after the 12 lakh military kicked off several procurement projects for different types of drones over the past few months.
Amid the ongoing 33-month military confrontation with China, the sheer operational utility of drones has been bolstered by recent conflicts ranging from Armenia-Azerbaijan to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine one.
The Army is tasked with conducting special missions in conventional operations, counter-terrorism operations, and out-of-area contingency operations, which require “enhanced situational awareness” about potential threats in intended target areas.
“Reconnaissance missions for these operations are currently physically conducted by small squads of soldiers acting as scouts. Not only does this increase the risk of casualties, but it can also jeopardize the entire operation,” said one officer.
The RFP said, “The existing unstable situation prevailing along the northern borders and inland in the disturbed areas dictates the urgent procurement of the nano drones to enhance the immediate situational awareness of the troops.” He specified that delivery must be completed within one year of signing the contract.
As TOI previously reported, the process of procuring kamikaze drones, armed drone swarms, logistics drones, and surveillance quadcopters, among others, for infantry battalions has already started.
Similarly, the Army is also proceeding with domestic procurement of 80 mini remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), 10 runway independent RPAS, 44 upgraded long-range surveillance systems and 106 inertial navigation systems to better direct to long range and high volume firepower against enemy targets for artillery regiments.
The Army also wants to purchase 12 sets of autonomous surveillance and armed drone swarms (A-SADS), each with 50-75 AI-enabled aerial vehicles that can communicate with control stations and with each other.
While seven of these sets are intended for high-altitude areas with China, the other five drone swarms are for operations in desert and plains areas along the borders with Pakistan, TOI previously reported.
