The army will invoke the fast-track procedure under emergency procurement to buy the highly-mobile, multi-configurable, wheeled vehicles, the officials said.

The development comes amid the lingering standoff with the Chinese army along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh sector and tensions spilling over into the eastern sector too.

In a request for proposal (RFP) seeking the participation of prospective bidders, the army on January 2  said these vehicles should be helicopter transportable and be able to operate at an altitude of 16,000 feet. “Their ability to operate in snow-covered undulating terrain with long endurance makes them ideally suitable for last-mile delivery (LMD) tasks,” the RFP said.

The army plans to operate these vehicles in areas in temperatures ranging from minus 20 degrees to plus 45 degrees. An inbuilt cold engine start system is another key army requirement. Also, the engine power and operating range of these vehicles should not be less than 30 HP and 100 Km, respectively. These vehicles are expected to be deployed in Ladakh and the eastern sector too, the officials said.

The army is swiftly upgrading its capability along the border with China with a variety of weapons and systems including artillery guns, swarm drone systems that can carry out offensive missions in enemy territory, longer-range rockets, remotely piloted aerial systems and high-mobility protected vehicles, while also pursuing the development of light tanks for mountain warfare and futuristic infantry combat vehicles (FICVs).

The new logistics rough terrain vehicles should have a rollover protection system, and service life should be at least nine years or 80,000 km, the RFP said. It also details the product support, engineering support package, spares and training package for the operators. The vehicles have to be delivered within 12 months of the signing of the contract.

The army’s focus on building combat capability along the contested border with China is part of an overarching plan to steadily enhance its operational readiness to counter any challenge presented by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The border standoff between India and China erupted in May 2020. While the two sides have had partial success in disengaging rival soldiers from some friction areas on LAC in Ladakh, talks are still on to end the deadlock that has derailed the bilateral relationship. Disengagement of soldiers from all friction points is essential before de-escalation of the conflict can take place, and, finally, de-induction of troops and weapons.

Corps commanders of the two armies held talks on the Chinese side of the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on December 20, just 11 days after several Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in a clash along LAC at Yangtse, located near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. However, there was no indication of forward movement in addressing the border row in the Ladakh sector during the 17th round of military talks.

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The Ministry of Defence, on 25 October, came out with the request for proposal (RFP) for such UAVs which will be processed as per the fast-track procurement procedure under the “emergency procurement”.

The RFP is part of the tendering process seeking commercial and technical bids from suppliers. Some 750 such drones are needed. “The current volatile situation along the northern borders warrants expeditious procurement of operational equipment,” the RFP document said. The Army is looking for UAVs that can provide round-the-clock surveillance with ability to scan the target area and provide a processed 3D scanned image of the target to execute special missions. The MoD wants to keep out any Chinese parts and has asked the vendor to provide NATO stock number (NSN) for each item provided by a foreign maker.

This equipment will be deployed for situational awareness and short-range surveillance that will enable the special forces to execute pin-point precision strikes during direct action tasks. The Army wants the UAV to be about 2 kg in weight and be operable by one person. The UAV needs to have an endurance of 30 minutes and be able to operate indoors and in GPS-denied areas.

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Last month, MoD gave approvals that will help the three armed forces quickly procure weapons and equipment up to Rs 300 crore per order, with deliveries to be ensured within a year.

It is learnt that several dozen projects are under discussion, with the private sector set to deliver a variety of weapons including swarm drones, long-range rockets, next generation mines, armed unmanned aerial vehicles and artificial intelligence-enabled systems.

Officials say that the focus will be on industry-led design and development, with proposals already received from companies. A high-level meeting in South Block this week is expected to further accelerate this process, for which the government has already allocated 25% of its annual research and development budget.

One of the proposals under discussion is a new tactical surface-to-surface missile, which will be a first of its kind project to be developed by the private sector. Being proposed by Economic Explosives Ltd, the 250 plus km range missile would be exponentially cheaper than the Brahmos and is fully indigenous. The ministry is also reviewing a proposal by the same company for guided Pinaka rockets, with a range of up to 150 km and new generation mines.

“We have in the past six months offered 15 Suo motu proposals including loitering munitions, surveillance drones, counter drone systems, drone-based mine detection and neutralisation systems, state-of-the-art anti-tank mine and long-range multi-launcher rocket systems that are being studied by the armed forces,” EEL chairman Satyanarayan Nuwal told ET.

The bar on imports under the emergency route was imposed after several rounds of internal discussions where it was agreed that capacity exists in the domestic sector to deliver on urgent requirements of the armed forces, officials said.

Another proposal being reviewed is for armed unmanned aerial vehicles that will be manufactured in the country at a fraction of import costs. The armed high-altitude long endurance drone is being developed by Adani Defence that already has a joint venture with Israel’s Elbit Systems. Sources said that it was being pitched as an indigenous and much more affordable substitute to the stalled proposal for armed Predator MQ 9B drones from the US.

The industry is also offering high-technology innovations to the armed forces, with IIT Delhi incubated start-up Botlab Dynamics in advanced stages of developing a path-breaking 3,500 swarm drone system. The company, which is currently looking for capital to expand operations, has submitted proposals for unique systems like disposable drones that can be used for quick surveillance by special forces, co-founder Sarita Ahlawat told ET.

Ministry officials say that the industry can be further accelerated on a public private partnership basis, with the private sector bringing in innovation and the public sector offering testing and manufacturing facilities that have been created over the years.

The corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board has allowed its newly created entities to create private sector partnerships and changes are expected in other large public sector units to gear up for a similar future.

A public private partnership that is showing results is the development of a high-altitude pseudo satellite that is being partially funded by the ministry. The project is being led by Newspace Research along with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

“The long-term focus should be on captive R&D for futuristic products within our country in a public private partnership format to develop next generation military hardware, which is a far bigger deal. Mandated PSUs can exploit the tech prowess and agility of start-ups to create the right impetus for next generation military products,” Newspace Research’s Sameer Joshi says.

Ministry officials say that the recent geopolitical situation has reaffirmed the need for self-reliance, given the uncertainties in supplies and spares due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Dependence on foreign sources for vital equipment, they say, can be leveraged and impact strategic sovereignty of the country.

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