The Indian Army will be buying 20 man portable , mini unmanned aerial vehicles which can be deployed to gather intelligence and mount surveillance. The new decision has been taken so as to arms its troops fighting insurgents in the border state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Udhampur based Northern Army Command will buy the mini UAVs. Earlier in the month it had issued a tender open to global original equipment manufacturers. Sources familiar with the development revealed that the Northern Army Command said that the mini UAVs will augment the Israeli UAVs.
The tender was issued earlier in the month and it is expected that the mini UAV manufacturers would respond by the beginning of September this year. After the proposals are looked in to the orders will be placed for 20 mini UAVs required at present.
The mini UAVs which the troops will get will weigh less than 10 kg and can be transported on the shoulder of a trooper. The mini UAVs also have cameras including an infrared one for night use and it also comes with recording devices and sensors for mounting surveillance. It will also have an electric motor due to which it will be literally noise free once it attains the height of 500 meters above ground level.
