Army to procure devices that detect chemicals

The Indian Army has signed a contract to procure a system that detects traces of chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals by sampling air from the environment. This will help identify the effects of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons.

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Called the ‘Automatic Chemical Agent Detection and Alarm’ (ACADA) system, the Army will procure 223 units from L&T at a cost of Rs 80.43 crore. The Ministry of Defence said today that ACADA, designed and developed by DRDO’s Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE), Gwalior, marks a significant milestone in India’s indigenisation efforts in the niche CBRN domain.

The system detects chemical warfare agents (CWA) and programmed toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) using Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS). It features two highly sensitive IMS cells for continuous detection and simultaneous monitoring of harmful substances.

The MoD said inducting ACADA into field units will significantly enhance the Army’s defensive CBRN capabilities, both for operations and peacetime. More than 80 per cent of its components and sub-systems will be sourced locally.