Stating that autonomous systems were becoming a preferred choice in the Order of Battle for nations across the globe, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said on Wednesday that recent (maritime) incidents in Northern Arabian Sea “amply demonstrate the challenges posed by such systems when they fall in the hands of non-state actors and terrorists.”
He was speaking at the unveiling event of the first Drishti-10 starliner Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) manufactured by Adani Defence and Aerospace for the Navy in Hyderabad. It is an indigenously built version of Hermes-900 UAV of Elbit Systems of Israel and according to the Adani has over 70% indigenous content.
The Army and Navy have contracted two Hermes-900s each under emergency procurement last year.
To questions on the attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Adm. Kumar said that there were 35 drone attacks in the last 40 to 42 days, on ships and the target was Israel owned ships or those linked to Israel, and mainly in Red Sea, North Arabian Sea, and Central Arabian Sea. He further said that the Indian Navy had collected samples of debris from three vessels (which were attacked) and was examining them forensically to identify the origin of the attack.
Noting that the importance of autonomous systems in the rapidly evolving and dynamic tech-infused wars of the contemporary world needed no emphasis, Adm. Kumar said: “Both our immediate neighbours collectively hold a very large inventory of UAVs. Therefore, it is only prudent that we, as a nation, and as armed forces, continue to harness our resident expertise in this domain, by remaining agile, adaptable and ahead of the curve.”
With state-of-the art sensors, enhanced endurance, advanced communication capabilities as well as new-age technologies such as Automatic Take Off and Landing (ATOL), Drishti would be a potent force multiplier, adding capability and credibility in undertaking Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) across the Indian Ocean Region, the Navy Chief said. Additionally, the versatility and flexibility offered through modularity and mobility of ground support equipment would enable them to operate Drishti from naval air stations across the country, Adm. Kumar said adding that Navy personnel were undergoing training which would be over later this month and the UAV was likely to be inducted in February.
The Hermes-900 is an advanced ISR platform with 36 hours endurance, 450 kgs payload capacity, the only all-weather military platform with STANAG 4671 certification, and clear to fly in both segregated and unsegregated airspace, according to Elbit.
The first UAV with 75 Navy personnel would leave from Hyderabad to Porbandar to be inducted into naval maritime operations, observed Ashish Rajvanshi, CEO of Adani Defence and Aerospace. “Our on-time delivery to Indian Navy is a testament to our robust quality management processes and excellent support from our partners who have worked diligently over the last 10 months from contract to delivery, and ensured more than 70% indigenisation,” he added.
Speaking at the event, Director General Army Aviation Lt. Gen. A. K. Suri said that the Army was looking to receive the Drishti-10s in the next 2-3 months.
Hyderabad had the most evolved and most mature defence and aerospace ecosystem in the country, said Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary of the Industries, Commerce and Information Technology, Telangana. About 30% of components for ISRO’s Mars orbiter were manufactured by companies in Hyderabad, he stated.
As reported by The Hindu earlier, under the fourth tranche of emergency procurements sanctioned by the government, the three services contracted two MALE UAVs, all from Israel. While the Army and Navy have procured the Hermes 900 manufactured by Elbit Systems, the Indian Air Force has procured the Heron Mk2 from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). In 2021, the Army had contracted four Heron-Mk2 UAS which were inducted in 2022.
Adani Aerosapce and Defence in partnership with Elbit Systems - Adani Elbit UAV Complex manufactures the complete carbon composite aerostructures for Hermes 900 and Hermes 450 in Hyderabad.
As reported by this newspaper earlier, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan has ordered two studies to be conducted regarding major military platforms used by all three services, on UAV and armoured helicopters. Of these, the study on UAVs has since been completed with the recommendation for 31 MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance UAVs and 155 MALE UAVs.
The deal for 31 MQ-9B UAVs is in advanced stages of procurement.
Heron upgrade
There is also a major upgrade plan lined up for all the Heron to Mk2 for weaponisation and facilitation of SATCOM capability estimated to cost of ₹21,000 crore. However, that has been long delayed and officials expressed confidence that it would be cleared soon.
As reported earlier, in August 2021 the Army Aviation got control of the Army’s Heron MALE UAVs which were earlier with the Army’s Artillery. The Army is also looking to create a separate cadre of UAV operators and the proposal is currently under consideration by the Army Headquarters.
Elbit Systems describes the Hermes 900 Starliner, as a “powerful and trend setting” MALE UAV that features adverse weather capabilities and qualified to be “safely integrated into civilian airspace and fly in the same environment with manned aircraft.”
