SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
The Indian Army, in alignment with the Ministry of Defence (MoD), has announced its intention to procure advanced Surveillance Copters, including essential accessories, to enhance its situational awareness across diverse terrains. This initiative comes under India’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat programs, aiming to boost domestic manufacturing capabilities and reduce dependency on foreign technology in critical defense infrastructure. The issuance of a Request for Information (RFI) for Surveillance Copters marks a step toward defining the system’s specifications, identifying capable Indian vendors, and selecting a procurement category.
The Indian Army has outlined specific technical requirements to guide the development of the Surveillance Copter and its accessories.
The copter should be modular, facilitating straightforward upgrades to adapt to future technological advancements without necessitating structural changes. This modularity also simplifies the integration of new sub-systems, preserving the overall system’s performance.
The Surveillance Copters must be functional in plains and desert regions, capable of handling the unique challenges posed by sand, heat, and expansive flat terrain. Surveillance Copters should also function optimally in high-altitude areas, especially in mountainous regions that require high-lift capability to manage altitudes up to 4500 meters. Given the demands of these environments, the drones need to be designed to withstand low temperatures, reduced oxygen levels, and potentially turbulent weather.
The copter must be launchable at an elevation up to 4500 meters AMSL (Above Mean Sea Level) and operate at a minimum altitude of 500 meters AGL (Above Ground Level) from a takeoff point of 4500 meters AMSL. This high-altitude capability is vital for missions in mountainous and rugged regions.
The copters are required to have an endurance of at least 60 minutes from takeoff to landing, even when carrying the maximum payload, at an operational range of 5 kilometers at 500 meters AGL above 4500 meters AMSL. This endurance ensures that copters can provide continuous, valuable intelligence across extended surveillance missions.
For day missions, the copter must be capable of capturing and transmitting real-time video with a minimum resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, allowing ground operators to receive precise visual data for intelligence and mission planning.
The navigation system should incorporate a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) that includes NAVSTAR, GLONASS, and IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) capabilities. Operators should have the ability to select, deselect, or block any GNSS service as needed, ensuring flexibility in GPS-restricted or GPS-denied environments.
The copters are expected to have a service life that encompasses at least 2000 landings, ensuring durability and cost-effectiveness over an extended period of operational use. This longevity requirement underscores the need for a rugged design that withstands frequent deployments in challenging conditions.
The RFI seeks to gather insights from capable Indian companies that can deliver the Surveillance Copter system within two years of contract award. This timeline is designed to address the Army’s urgent needs, while providing enough leeway for Indian vendors to meet the high specifications laid out. The RFI response will aid the Ministry of Defence in finalizing the system’s qualitative requirements (SQRs) and categorizing the procurement process.
NOTE : Article cannot be reproduced without written permission of idrw.org in any form even for YouTube Videos to avoid Copy right strikes. Websites doing illegal reproductions will get DMCA and Legal Notices.