TeaArmed forces are known to be the slowest when it comes to change. But one area, which is rapidly seeing change within the armed forces, is unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone warfare.
The Army, Navy and Air Force are moving at a brisk pace and are procuring them in huge numbers. Such has been the demand and interest of the armed forces that the recently held DefExpo 2022 in Gandhinagar looked like a drone show rather than a regular defense exhibition, with almost every other exhibitor having something or the other related to the world of UAVs.
The push for drones can be traced back to the IAF’s Mehr Baba Jhund drone competition, which began in 2018 and lasted for three years. 154 startups pitted against each other in this competition, creating an ecosystem.
Indian Air Force this year The second edition of the competition has started.
One would have expected the IAF to be a drone change, but it is the Army that is looking at and procuring different types of UAVs to meet its operational requirements as compared to the other two services.
The drones the military is interested in vary from small tactical surveillance to specialized systems for long-range and high altitude, in addition to armed and kamikaze drones, for logistics.
In 2020, it was war winning drones for Azerbaijan. This writer then said that the Indian Army should focus on fully exploiting this new technology which has also proved to be extremely useful in the Russo-Ukraine War.
And given the tense standoff with China on the LAC, the Army has gone for a complete revamp of strategy and Order of Battle (ORBAT) where drones now play an important role.
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when the change started
The Army started by making its first major change in late 2020 That’s when it decided to hand over all operations of its fleet of Israeli Explorers and Heron UAVs from artillery to the Army Aviation Corps. This signaled a fundamental shift in the military’s understanding of how it views the future of drones or UAVs.
When UAVs were first purchased in the early 2000s, they were primarily used for target viewing and were therefore placed under artillery, which had a longer range.
But the India-China standoff changed everything.
The Army, which had been flying herons for surveillance along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), went ahead and procured four latest Israeli UAVs, which are satellite-linked. This meant that herons could do longer missions.
army also bought switch drone Built last year and again this year by IdeaForge, an Indian startup. The military described this as a “force multiplier technique” and explained that instead of physically turning soldiers out in the cold, patrolling drones would keep an eye on the ground at each point.
Another addition to the military’s drone list was the inclusion of swarm drone this year. These drones, manufactured by Indian startups, are joined by Bengaluru-based NewSpace Research and Technology, operated by former Indian Air Force officer Sameer Joshi, and Noida-based Rapay Mfibre Pvt Ltd, Armored Corps and Mechanized Infantry.
Both these weapons are also looking at buying more drones and counter drone measures and have already issued requests for information.
Both drone and counter-drone capabilities have been taken into account in the ongoing upgrade of their equipment.
The army has also started work on special Swarm drones that can be deployed in high altitude areas like eastern Ladakh.
In October itself, sources in the defense establishment said that the Army has also gone ahead and floated a tender to procure around 2,000 different types of drones through the indigenous route.
This includes over 300 high altitude logistics drones of varying capacities, 1000 surveillance copters, 80 mini remotely piloted aircraft and 750 remotely piloted aerial vehicles.
the army also ordered for more 100 Tactical Indo-Israel Kamikaze DronesUsed in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, to enhance its operational capability along the borders with Pakistan and China, the deliveries of which have already begun. These drones are being manufactured by a joint venture between Israel’s Elbit Systems and India’s Alpha Design, which is now part of the Adani Group.
Defense sources said the army is looking at buying more weapons and has signed another agreement. This is new to the Army as till now the infiltrating warships were only in service with the IAF.
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Why Drone?
Army sources said drones have seen a major push within the service as they provide an advantage when it comes to surveillance and even punitive action. The Army is trying to integrate its various formations and equipment with drones to form a cohesive unit.
Drones have been very useful in mountainous areas as it gives soldiers eyes and ears beyond the pass. Each branch of the Army like Artillery, Armored Corps, Infantry is catering to its drone requirements.
On the other hand, the IAF is working on much larger drone projects and is looking at merging them with fighter jets. However, the IAF is of the view that in a closely fought airspace with strong air defense systems like Pakistan or China, slow-moving drones will not stand a chance when it comes to striking deep on their own.
The Navy is looking for drones to operate from warships moving alongside its ships, apart from logistics.
One big tri-service drone project is Project Cheetah. Under this, India’s Heron fleet is to be upgraded, which will include satellite navigation and specialized sensor capabilities.
But the icing on the cake is the plan to divide them. Under the original plan, the Israelis were to upgrade the heron with the ability to perform not only more specific and longer surveillance missions but also precise strikes. Thus the heron would have the capability to carry and launch precision air-to-surface missiles.
However, sources said the plan is for Israelis to launch the project in India through a joint collaboration with an Indian company, which is likely to be a private company.
Sources said the strong push for drones by the armed forces is not just because it feels strongly that they are the future but also because there has been a strong push by the government. In August 2021, there were new rules for drone technologies notified by Modi government.
as informed of Earlier, the ‘Drone Rules 2021’ is the ideal basis for the government to catalyze a booming indigenous drone production industry, especially as the government works to build a strong military-industrial complex in India.
And this holds the future. With the armed forces ordering order after order, more and more players are entering the market, a development that was unimaginable just a few years ago.
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