A Bengaluru-based start-up is developing India’s first assault swarm drone prototype along side state-owned contractors Hindustan Aeronautics
A report from NDTV final week confirmed that India’s army is developing weaponised autonomous swarm drones. It has been a lot publicised that these are being developed by China, Russia and the U.S., however not so India — till this yr.
Earlier this yr, the Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed that state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd was developing a killer ‘Wingman’ drone. India additionally confirmed that it was working with the U.S. on the event of assault drones underneath the Protection Expertise and Commerce Initiative (DTTI).
There’s been discuss India’s army want for swarm drones for a few years now and the potential of leveraging house grown UAV startups, however not a lot buzz concerning the improvement of weaponised swarm drones.
Final October, the IAF introduced a contest for startups to construct 50 swarm drones. The winners stood to get a contract to co-produce the drones with a army Base Restore Depot in the direction of a INR 100 core ($14.6m) order. Nevertheless, in response to the IAF, these drones have been to be deployed for Humanitarian Assist and Catastrophe Aid (HADR) operations.
Weaponised swarm drones could be launched by fighter plane or transports, can journey at speeds of over 100 kilometres per hour and are able to carrying explosive warheads for ‘suicide’ assaults on enemy plane or different targets. The IAF already has killer drones and reportedly confirmed an order for 54 Israeli assault drones earlier this yr, so as to add to its current stock of 110 HAROP drones.
Final week, NDTV reported {that a} crew comprised of members from Hindustan Aeronautics and a Bengaluru-based start-up NewSpace Analysis and Applied sciences are developing their first assault swarm drone prototype: the Air-Launched Versatile Asset (Swarm) or ALFA-S.
The ALFA-S prototype might be prepared in two years.
A model of this text was initially printed in Asia AI Information every day e mail publication on 13 July 2019.