The Indian Army has launched the Him Drone-a-thon programme in collaboration with the Drone Federation of India. The initiative is in line with self-reliance in defence manufacturing. It is aimed at providing opportunities to the Indian drone ecosystem to develop path-breaking drone capabilities for meeting the requirements of frontline troops. In the 1st phase, drones will be developed for use in Army operations in the Himalayas.
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Memorandum of understanding between DFI and Army Design Bureau:
The Drone Federation of India (DFI) and the Army Design Bureau (ADB) signed a memorandum of understanding to accelerate drone technology development and indigenisation in the drone ecosystem in the country at a time when the world is witnessing a swift transition from traditional warfare to a technology-driven one.
Drones play a crucial role on the frontline, especially with high-altitude areas, as troops increasingly face threats from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) dropping payloads or supplying arms and ammunition from across the borders to anti-national elements. As per reports, the need of the hour for the Indian defence machinery is to customise such UAVs to adapt to the high-altitude requirement of our forces.
As a start point, development is included in the following categories:
• Logistics and Load carrying Drone in High Altitude Areas
• Autonomous Surveillance or Search & Rescue Drone
• Micro and Nano Drones for Fighting in Built Up Areas.