India Floats Rs 290 Crore Tender For Next-Generation Mine Detectors To Counter Non-Metallic Explosives

The Ministry of Defence has issued a Rs 290 crore tender to procure 386 dual-technology mine detectors capable of identifying both metallic and non-metallic explosives.

New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence has floated a tender worth approximately ₹290 crore to procure 386 units of a new generation of mine detectors capable of identifying both metallic and non-metallic explosives, a capability gap that conventional equipment in service with the army has long been unable to address.

The procurement, formally described as “dual technology mine detectors,” signals a broader shift in how the Indian Army is equipping its combat engineering units to deal with evolving threats on its borders and in counter-insurgency environments.

The gap in existing capability

The army currently operates metal detectors, including the Schiebel and Metex models, which are designed to locate ferrous and non-ferrous metallic components buried underground.

These systems have served adequately in conventional scenarios but are increasingly ineffective against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and pressure mines constructed from plastic, wood, ceramic, or other non-metallic materials.

The widespread use of such devices by non-state actors and in asymmetric warfare — from the Kashmir valley to counter-insurgency operations in the northeast — has made the upgrade operationally urgent.

Globally, low-metal mines have posed acute problems for armies in conflict zones from Afghanistan to Ukraine, where adversaries have deliberately shifted to non-metallic construction to defeat standard detection equipment.

How the new system works

The dual technology detector combines a conventional electromagnetic metal detection system with either ground penetrating radar (GPR) or infrared (IR) technology.

The two sub-systems can function independently or in tandem, giving operators the flexibility to switch modes depending on terrain and threat type.

Specified technical requirements include detection of objects as small as six centimetres in diameter and four centimetres in height, with detection depth of up to 12 cm in dry laterite, soil, or sand, and up to 10 cm in snow, waterlogged conditions, or saline soil — terrain profiles that map directly onto the army’s operational zones from the Siachen glacier in the north to the Rann of Kutch in the west.

The equipment must function across temperatures ranging from -10°C to +42°C, be operable from standing, kneeling, and prone positions, and weigh no more than eight kilograms in operational mode.

The complete man-portable configuration with a rucksack must not exceed 12 kg, with transport mode capped at 20 kg.

Audio and visual alarms with distinct tones for each detection technology are required, along with selective muting to filter out signals from irrelevant metallic clutter.

Delivery and procurement timeline

The selected vendor will be required to deliver all 386 units within 540 days of receiving the supply order, with a contractual deadline of June 5.

Strategic context

Combat engineering units are tasked with clearing routes for infantry and armoured columns — a mission in which undetected mines and IEDs represent the primary threat.

India’s two active fronts — the Line of Actual Control with China and the Line of Control with Pakistan — both present mine and IED risks, as do internal security operations.

The new detectors are intended to reduce casualties among soldiers performing route-clearance tasks in precisely the kind of varied and hostile terrain that has historically stretched the limits of single-technology detection systems.