Army inks deal for 8 indigenously developed Remotely Piloted Aerial Vehicles
By the end of this year, the Indian Army is set to receive delivery of the RPAVs (Remotely Piloted Aerial Vehicles), with the complete supply expected within a year. According to sources, the Indian Army is acquiring these RPAVs not only for its own use but also for the Indian Air Force.
FollowMoving a step further in achieving the government's ambitious goal of an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' in the defence sector, the Indian Army and Z Motions Private Limited have signed a deal for eight indigenously developed Remotely Piloted Aerial Vehicles (RPAV) through the iDEX channel worth Rs 5 crore. The Indian Army will get delivery of these RPAVs by the end of this year and would receive all of them in a year's time. Â
Sources in the defence establishment told Asianet Newsable that being a lead agency, the Indian Army is procuring these RPAVs for itself and the Indian Air Force as well. They will get an equal number of drones for field exploitation. "After exploitation, it has been planned to procure the RPAVs in bulk," sources said.
Stating that it is committed towards 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', the Indian Army in a tweet said: "... The state-of-the-art airborne platform would enhance the surveillance, targeting and tracking capability and carry out precision targeting of enemy targets."
The contract was signed in the presence of deputy chief of Army Staff (Capability Development & Sustenance) Lt Gen JB Chaudhari on July 24 in Delhi.
What is iDEX?
Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 12, 2018, during Defence Expo India in Chennai, the iDEX is an ecosystem that fosters innovation and encourages technology development in the defence sector by engaging research and development (R&D) institutes, academia, industries, start- ups and even individual innovators.
According to an official, the Indian Army has taken the lead in it and so far it has inked three contracts under iDEX.
About RPAVs
Being developed as loitering munitions, which will prove to be a  game changer during operations, these RPAVs will provide integral surveillance, targeting and tracking capability to light infantry, small teams of Ghataks and special operations units to carry out precision targeting at standoff ranges.
Last year, the government issued five requests for proposals to procure over 2000 drones, including those for Remotely Piloted Aerial Vehicles (RPAV) along with complete accessories. All these surveillance drones and RPAVs are being procured through the fast-track procedure under emergency procurement to be deployed along the northern borders of China
Earlier in May, the Indian Navy inked a contract with Siliconia Technologies for the procurement of lightweight Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)-based maritime navigational radar. These communication systems can be used for Low Earth Orbit, Medium Earth Orbit and Geostationary satellite communication.
The ASIC-based maritime navigational radar is a highly advanced radar system specifically designed for marine navigation. The advantage of having this device includes providing highly accurate and reliable information about the location, speed, and direction of nearby vessels, as well as other objects in the water.
