Army unveils technology roadmap for unmanned aerial systems, loitering munitions

New Delhi: The army on Monday unveiled a key "technology roadmap" outlining technical and operational requirements in the domain of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and loitering munitions, a move that comes amid the changing nature of warfare as seen in various conflicts.

The nearly 50-page document, intended for industry and academia, details 30 types of UAS and loitering munitions across five categories, translating into nearly 80 variants, a senior officer said.

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The categories are surveillance, loitering munitions, unmanned aerial systems in air defence role, unmanned aerial systems in special role and logistics unmanned aerial systems.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of rapidly changing conflict dynamics, with the Russia-Ukraine war stretching into over four years and the ongoing West Asia conflict now continuing for over a month, underscoring the growing significance of unmanned systems on the battlefield.

Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development and Sustenance), Lt Gen Rahul R Singh, in his address at the launch event, cautioned about the sensitive nature of the document and urged stakeholders not to share it with unauthorised persons, citing the risk of it falling into the hands of an adversary.

Maj Gen C S Mann, ADG, Army Design Bureau, said this is the first time the army has shared such specifications related to the domain of UAS and loitering munitions, reflecting the importance attached to these capabilities.

Work on preparing the document started after Operation Sindoor, a person familiar with the matter said.

Titled "Indian Army's Technology Roadmap for Unmanned Aerial System & Loitering Munitions", the document was launched at the event held at the Bharat Mandapam here.

The document provides visibility of long-term requirements of the army in the field of UAS and loiter munitions to the industry and academia, officials said.

Senior army officials, along with representatives from the Drone Federation India (DFI), Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the defence industry, academia and R&D organisations attended the event.