The Ministry of Defence released an RFI, on 4 May, to identify vendors who can deliver high-altitude surveillance quadcopters to the Indian Army. More than 500 systems are expected to be purchased.
The RFI calls for a mission radius of at least 5km, and two versions are envisaged – one for deployment above and the other below 4,000m. The RfI says the quadcopter should not weigh more than 10kg but that the ‘weight of the equipment should be suitable to withstand strong high-altitude winds up to 20 knots’.
Furthermore, the surveillance quadcopter must be capable of being launched at altitudes above 5,500m.