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India is looking at inducting several new technologies at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, including a range of drones for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance purposes, loitering munitions, counter drones with varying soft and hard kill options as well as several Artificial Intelligence-based systems to interpret images better, detect intrusion and quantum computing, said Army Chief General Manoj Pande while speaking to a group of journalists on the sidelines of Aero India 2023, on Tuesday.
Responding to a question from The Indian Express, Gen Pande highlighted the significance of micro, mini and tactical-level drones and those with longer ranges which the Army purchased under emergency procurements. The focus has also been on counter-anti-drone technologies, including drone spoofers hand-held drone jammers, he added.
“We are looking at more soft-kill and hard-kill options for countering drones, and even swarm drones for that matter,” he said, adding that the Army is looking to find some good options among loitering munitions which it is seeking to procure.
“There are few projects currently underway wherein we are looking at AI for better interpretation of satellite images. “Getting information is no longer a challenge, it is about how you synthesise this information,” he said. The niche technologies, he said, can be inducted through various routes, including iDEX, and Make 2 projects.
Asked about China’s use of surveillance balloons in the US and Canada and the possibility of deploying such tactics against India, Gen Pande said India must constantly remain alert and “be current to what is happening around, and be ahead of the learning curve”.
Additionally, he said the Army is looking at inducting around 95 Light Combat Helicopters and 110 Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) in the future as part of enhancing its overall combat aviation profile and added that indigenisation of air defence guns is a priority for the Army.
He added that LCHs would be deployed in high-altitude areas with the helicopter being good manoeuvrability in the mountains.
The LUHs and LCHs are set to replace its ageing fleets of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters.
Gen Pande said one of the weapons systems to be integrated into the LCH Prachand would be Helina missiles, adding that their trials have been successful.
The Defence Acquisition Council has granted approval for the procurement of 40 Helina launchers and missiles.
“Its integration on aircraft is something we believe is important for us to maximise the potential of anti-tank guided missiles,” Gen Pande said. He said out of the initial five LCHs, the force has already received three, adding that the army is getting six limited series versions of the LUH initially.
“Our overall requirement in this class is about 250 helicopters,” he said, adding that the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is working on capability enhancement of the platform, including the autopilot feature based on requirements projected by the Army.
He said that the Army is expected to receive all six American Apache attack helicopters by next year and trials are underway for the electronic warfare systems along the LAC.
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