DefExpo kicks off, new tech, future of warfare on agenda

Ajay Banerjee

Gandhinagar, October 18

India is working on underwater swarm drones and unmanned fighter jets that will fly with regular jets flown by pilots. The underwater drones are being tested, while the unmanned jets are expected to take the first flight in 2025.

Adding to military prowess

Underwater swarm drones: These will be equipped with advanced image processing and artificial intelligence capabilities to deliver a payload of minimum 7 kg in the seabed at a minimum of 60 m depth. The swarm should be intelligent to detect underwater mines

Unmanned fighter jets: Three or four unmanned jets will fly with a manned fighter jet. “Distribute the intelligence on these unmanned jets in a fashion that they can overpower the manned jets of the adversary,” says a retired Group Captain

• The underwater drones are being tested, while the unmanned jets are expected to take the first flight in 2025.
• Besides, automated drone detection systems and unmanned combat units for tank formations are among the other technologies in the works.

Besides, deep space technologies, cyber technologies and use of artificial intelligence are part of the new technologies that are being described as the “future of warfare” at the five-day DefExpo 2022 that kicked off here today.

“Autonomous and unmanned is a reality,” Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, Vice Chief of the Navy, said at the DefExpo.

On land forces, Principal Adviser to the Ministry of Defence Lt Gen VG Khandare said: “Robotics and artificial intelligence are the way to go, as casualties have to be minimised.”

The Indian Army has already launched a project to get 185 ‘robotics surveillance platforms’ for counter-terrorist operations which can provide real-time intelligence inputs and also lob grenades, all the while being remotely operated from 200 m.

Automated drone detection systems and unmanned combat units for tank formations are among the other technologies in the works.

A private company, Sagar Defence, is manufacturing underwater drones as part of the Indian Navy project. Each of these underwater drones can operate at a distance of 8 km from the mother ship.

Nikunj Parashar, CEO of Sagar Defence, described the capability of underwater vessels in terms of “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, mine-counter measures, anti-submarine warfare, hydrographic and oceanographic data acquisition”.

The unmanned fighter jet is the game-changer. Group Captain Harshvardhan Thakur (retd), deputy chief test pilot at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, said: “Getting the latest technology in next generation of fighter jets is an expensive business.”

“The time is to make a change,” he said, adding “we need to have three or four unmanned jets and one manned fighter jet in the air to control them. Distribute the intelligence on these unmanned jets in a fashion that they can overpower the manned jets of the adversary”.

“The manned jet could be a Tejas. Machines cannot think nor they can do things as fast as a fighter pilot can,” said Group Captain Thakur.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh exhorted start-ups to come up with ideas on research and innovation. A sum of Rs 300 crore has been approved for more than 100 start-ups to develop products and technologies in more than 50 technology sectors.