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Army evinces interest in UAV developed by private company
BANGALORE: Impressed by an Indian private firm's design and development of a tactical mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) ââ¬â the first and only private initiative of its kind in the country ââ¬â the Army has invited the company for field trials of the product.
Designed for use by Army battalions close to the borders, a system of three such tactical UAVs and ground support equipment could be operated by two Army personnel on the move.
Simply put, the mini UAV will help a battalion get a complete picture of the enemy's ground before mounting an attack.
The video cameras (Three-axis, gyro-stabilised cameras to be precise) fitted on the UAV will relay live feeds to a laptop carried by the battalions' UAV unit.
The manufacturer, the Hyderabad-based Speck Systems, has prepared to launch its first development prototype within a month, the firm's senior manager (UAV division) Major Rajendra K. Sonawane (Retd.) told The Hindu.
So far, the 11-month-old company has developed three models for testing. One of them will be used for the Indian Army trials. Demand for such tactical UAVs is mounting in both the armed services and the paramilitary forces. Besides, Speck Systems is also upbeat about the equipment's export potential. The UAV, christened, BAAZ, is lined up for technical demonstration in Thailand, Sri Lanka and South Africa, according to Major Sonawane.
Specifications
With an endurance of 90 minutes, BAAZ has a range of 10 km and could touch an altitude of 10 km. The aircraft is only 0.5 m long with a 1.5 m wingspan.
Its weight is barely seven kg and thus is man portable. Flying at a speed of 60 kmph, the tactical UAV is equipped with a day and night sensor and cameras totally controlled from a laptop. It is capable of hand / bungee launched automatic landing and autonomous flight with manual override and could be deployed in 20 minutes flat.
Beyond tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and other pure defence applications, the tactical UAV could also be used for over-the-hill reconnaissance, covert operations, law enforcement, traffic monitoring, disaster management and security surveillance. The UAV has huge potential in round-the-clock surveillance of nuclear plants and security establishments, according to Major Sonawane, who served in the Army's UAV unit during the Kargil war.
Speck Systems, in collaboration with a foreign partner, is also developing a medium altitude long range UAV. The aircraft will have applications in internal security management, infrastructure monitoring, atmospheric research and oceanographic observation, nuclear biological chemical contamination monitoring, border and marine patrolling, besides routine reconnaissance and surveillance operations.
Tactical UAVs were extensively used by the United States armed forces in their operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. But these differ a lot from the bigger UAVs, which weigh about 400 kg with endurance ranging from 8 to 12 hours and altitude of about 20,000 ft.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/16/stories/2007021605300500.htm
BANGALORE: Impressed by an Indian private firm's design and development of a tactical mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) ââ¬â the first and only private initiative of its kind in the country ââ¬â the Army has invited the company for field trials of the product.
Designed for use by Army battalions close to the borders, a system of three such tactical UAVs and ground support equipment could be operated by two Army personnel on the move.
Simply put, the mini UAV will help a battalion get a complete picture of the enemy's ground before mounting an attack.
The video cameras (Three-axis, gyro-stabilised cameras to be precise) fitted on the UAV will relay live feeds to a laptop carried by the battalions' UAV unit.
The manufacturer, the Hyderabad-based Speck Systems, has prepared to launch its first development prototype within a month, the firm's senior manager (UAV division) Major Rajendra K. Sonawane (Retd.) told The Hindu.
So far, the 11-month-old company has developed three models for testing. One of them will be used for the Indian Army trials. Demand for such tactical UAVs is mounting in both the armed services and the paramilitary forces. Besides, Speck Systems is also upbeat about the equipment's export potential. The UAV, christened, BAAZ, is lined up for technical demonstration in Thailand, Sri Lanka and South Africa, according to Major Sonawane.
Specifications
With an endurance of 90 minutes, BAAZ has a range of 10 km and could touch an altitude of 10 km. The aircraft is only 0.5 m long with a 1.5 m wingspan.
Its weight is barely seven kg and thus is man portable. Flying at a speed of 60 kmph, the tactical UAV is equipped with a day and night sensor and cameras totally controlled from a laptop. It is capable of hand / bungee launched automatic landing and autonomous flight with manual override and could be deployed in 20 minutes flat.
Beyond tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and other pure defence applications, the tactical UAV could also be used for over-the-hill reconnaissance, covert operations, law enforcement, traffic monitoring, disaster management and security surveillance. The UAV has huge potential in round-the-clock surveillance of nuclear plants and security establishments, according to Major Sonawane, who served in the Army's UAV unit during the Kargil war.
Speck Systems, in collaboration with a foreign partner, is also developing a medium altitude long range UAV. The aircraft will have applications in internal security management, infrastructure monitoring, atmospheric research and oceanographic observation, nuclear biological chemical contamination monitoring, border and marine patrolling, besides routine reconnaissance and surveillance operations.
Tactical UAVs were extensively used by the United States armed forces in their operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. But these differ a lot from the bigger UAVs, which weigh about 400 kg with endurance ranging from 8 to 12 hours and altitude of about 20,000 ft.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/16/stories/2007021605300500.htm
