INDIAN ARMY DEMONSTRATS DRONE SWARM DURING ARMY DAY PARADE

The Indian Army carried out a demonstration of drone swarm by using 75 indigenously designed and developed rotary drones

These drones are developed by Indian Army and NewSpace Research and Technology. Each drone is autonomous and independent to carry out missions by using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Theses drones have a range of 50 km. The Army and NewSpace is planning to fly up to 1,000 rotary drones.

During the demonstration, 75 UAV and small drones were flown together in a large swarm through AI technology. These swarm drones can be used for simultaneous large attacks on enemy tanks, infantry combat vehicles and trucks loaded with soldiers and ammunition, as well can be used for supplying medicines and other equipment.

Swarm-drones can also be used to jam the enemy’s communication-systems and radars on the battlefield.

Indian Army carried out multiple operations including intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance, kamikaze drone attacks, mothership, first-aid delivery and parachute payloads. These 75 drones can carry a total payload of 600 kg.

There were different types of drones used:

• Mothership Hexacopter, that can 2 kamikaze quadcopters.
• Kamikaze drones or Loitering munitions.
• Utility drones for payload & first-aid delivery.

DRDO Ghatak UCAV

DRDO Ghatak

Ghatak is an autonomous stealthy Unmanned Combat Aireal Vehicle (UCAV), being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force. The design work on the UCAV is carried out by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). The name of the project was Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft (AURA).

        The combat drone will have internal weapons bay and a turbofan engine: Dry variant of GTRE K-9 Kaveri engine. The UCAV will be capable of releasing air-to-ground missiles, bombs and precision-guided munitions.

Role: Unmanned Combat Aircraft

Designer: Aeronautical Development Agency;

                 Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory ;

                 Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. 

First flight: 2024-2025 (expected)

Program Cost: INR 2,650 crore (equivalent to INR 32 billion or US $450 million in 2019)