Army to procure 1,000 indigenous surveillance copters for high-altitude operations
To beef up its capability of keeping a watch over rugged and snow-bound areas along the border, the Indian Army has initiated the process to procure 1,000 indigenously developed surveillance copters for use in high-altitude areas.
These are small sensor equipped rotor powered drones, weighing up to 10 kg and designed to operate from confined and unprepared areas as small as 15 metres for carrying out tactical recce and observation missions.
“The surveillance copter will be employed primarily in high-altitude mountainous terrain at elevations up to 18,000 ft,” a request for information (RFI) issued by the Ministry of Defence on February 12 to identify probable Indian vendors states.
The copter’s pay load will include different types of high-resolution cameras video and still cameras along with infrared sensors to provide real time feedback to ground controllers up to a range of 5 km for at least 60 minutes of flying time.
A satellite-based navigation system, such as GNSS, NAVSTAR, GLONASS and IRNSS, with option to select, de-select or block a particular service and compatibility with defence series map is necessary.
The copters should be operational by day and night and in commonly encountered weather conditions in all kind of terrain in the country and be able to function in the temperature range from minus 30 degrees Celsius to 30 degrees Celsius and be able to withstand wind speeds up to 30 kmph.
The Army wants the copter to be modular in design, thereby lending itself to future upgrades through simple modifications that do not require design or structural changes. It should also facilitate integration and installation of any system and sub-system without impacting its performance.
A few weeks ago, the Indian Army had organised a symposium in Ladakh exclusively focused on drone operations in high altitude areas, where several firms had demonstrated their products.
The Army, like its sister services, uses several types of armed and unarmed drones of different size, payload capacity and range for objectives like strike, surveillance and recce, logistics, and search and rescue.
While some of the drones have been developed indigenously, others have been sourced from foreign vendors. A number of public and private sector establishments associated with the armed forces also have several ongoing and planned programmes to develop newer and more advanced variants of drones.
Indian and foreign drones are also forming a major component of the ongoing Aero India 2025 at Bengaluru. This a biennial air show attended by hundreds of aviation firms from across the globe for exploring business and development opportunities.
