Army floats tender for 20 unmanned aircraft
30 Aug 2012
The Indian Army has floated a global tender for procuring 20 mini-UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) for its units in Jammu & Kashmir, to strengthen its capability in fighting terrorism in the state.
The tender for the mini-UAVs comes soon after the Army and the Navy issued a global Request for Proposal (RFP) for procuring 95 such UAVs.
"The mini UAVs will be used in counter terrorist operations by our troops for gathering intelligence and carrying out reconnaissance of particular areas," Army officials said in New Delhi.
The tender has been issued by the Udhampur-based Northern Command of the Army and the deal is expected to be less than Rs50 lakh, they said.
In the tender, the Army has specified that the UAVs should be less than 10 kg in weight and should be able to fly at an altitude of up to 1,000 metres.
They said the controlling range of the UAVs should be not less than 5 km and they should be capable of being launched by the troops on ground.
"The UAVs should be able to remain airborne for at least 60 minutes," officials said.
Similar UAVs are also being planned to be used by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the anti-naxal operations in Chhatisgarh and Jharkhand.