Unmanned Rovers

Atul Chandra

The Indian Army is accelerating its efforts to catch-up with global militaries in Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV). It would appear that the rapid pace of progress with UGVs has largely passed the army by and it is now accelerating efforts to ensure that it is not left behind in a technology race.

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Unmanned systems could deliver significant benefits. However, the DRDO which is tasked with undertaking cutting-edge defence research has proved unequal to the task of delivering the armed forces with UGVs of operational utility. This has resulted in an unmatched opportunity for Indian private sector defence industry and start-ups to deliver on the army’s requirements for unmanned systems.

Forging Ahead

The army is already seized of the imperative of inducting UGVs into service and ‘UGV Experiment-2021’, an interaction organised by the Army Design Bureau (ADB) with firms developing such systems in December last year can be considered as a landmark event and highlighted the army’s strong intent to induct autonomous military vehicle technology. The event was held at the Babina Field Firing Ranges December 9-13 and brought both the user and developers together on a single platforms to allow an exchange of ideas with the industry.

More than two dozen Indian firms showcased 35 UGVs of varying sizes and capabilities in systems for surveillance, tactical receive, intelligence, kinetic effect, and evacuation. This allowed army personnel present to gauge their effectiveness and suitability for military use. Amongst some of the UGVs for which the army has a requirement is one that can carry a load of 250-500kg and operate for a duration of 12 hours. In another significant achievement announced in late January, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) announced that it had conducted successful trials in Ladakh with its Wheeled Armoured Platform 8X8 (WhAP), which is an indigenously developed amphibious wheeled Infantry Combat Vehicle (Wheeled). The development of military vehicles of such capability (albeit manned) also augurs well for the development of smaller UGVs in the years to come.

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