Army wants ballistic shield for troops fighting terrorists
New Delhi, November 21
Indian Army troops involved in counter-terrorist operations will now get a new generation-ballistic shield — hand-held and bullet-proof — to cover the face and lower part of the body from bullets and grenade blasts.
Troops fighting terrorists have to often enter closed spaces that are terrorist hideouts. Bullet-proof jackets and bullet-proof helmets protect the upper body. The ballistic shield will protect the rest.
The Army wants 1,612 ballistic shields to be bought under emergency procurement through fast-track procedure. A request for the proposal was issued today. The shield needs to be capable of holding back bullets fired from automatic rifles at a range of 10 metres.
The Army has also issued a request for proposal seeking ‘body-worn cameras (BWC)’ some of which will be used by the military police while troops along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) will ‘wear’ these cameras that will have a audio and video recording device attached to the uniform.
The Army wants the device to be encrypted and compatible with indigenous NAVIC System of satellites.
