If the missile evaluation trials of the Short Range-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Weaponised (SR-UAV-W) are successful, the Indian Army and the paramilitary forces might procure these, said officials of the Aeronautical Development Establishment, a laboratory of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO).
SR-UAV-W, also called the Basic Archer, has undergone flight demonstration and will undergo missile evaluation soon. An official from the DRDO said, “We have made two versions of Archer-one — a basic archer also called SR-UAV-W — and Archer-Next Generation (Archer-NG). The missile evaluation trials of basic Archer are left where we will arm the UAV with anti-tank missiles and hit a dummy target. We want to see how the weapon performs. If the trials are successful, the Army and the paramilitary forces could induct these. They have expressed a lot of interest in this.”
“While working on RUSTOM 1 (a short range remotely piloted aircraft system), we came up with the idea of Archer. Basic Archer can be used to cater to the requirement of intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, tracking and reconnaissance (ISTAR). It gathers real time and high quality imagery. It can operate up to a height of 22,000 feet with an endurance of up to 12 hours. It also carries Electro Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) payload,” the official said.
ADE is also working on finalising the air frames for Archer-NG. The airframe is the mechanical structure of the aircraft that includes wings, fuselage and undercarriage.
“Archer-NG can operate up to an altitude of 30,000 feet and can be used for ISTAR. The basic airframe structure will be ready in a couple of months. Archer-NG can also be used for battlefield post-strike assessment. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is our partner as far as avionics or electrical systems of Archer NG is concerned. The DRDO has introduced a policy on selection of the Development cum Production Partner (DcPP) for the DRDO developed systems, which ensures involvement of industries from the beginning of development cycle and lead to reduction in the time-frame of the development-to-induction cycle. So, Archer-NG’s realisation is also through DcPP,” he added.
