In an official communication ADE also confirmed the TAPAS drones to be armed. Work on this is progressing fast.

Most of the components required for the production of the drone is expected to go to private defence agencies, HAL’s role would be that of  a lead integrator. The avionics, electronics, sensors, and ground control systems is likely to be manufactured by the state-owned defence sector behemoth BEL. DRDO’s Defence Electronics Application Laboratory, Dehradun, is responsible for developing and integrating the data links for Rustom-II.

Unmanned, Rustom-II has an overall length of 9.5 m and a wingspan of 20.6 m. It is powered by two Saturn 36T turboprop engines, each rated at 74.57 kW (100 hp). Also known as TAPAS-BH-201 (Tactical Advanced Platform for Aerial Surveillance-Beyond Horizon-201), Rustom-II weighs 1,800 kg and has a cruising speed of 135 kt.

It is designed to carry payloads of up to 350 kg. The mission payloads are reportedly Israel-sourced and include electro-optic (EO) and infrared (IR) sensors, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and maritime patrol radars, communications relay, and electronic intelligence (ELINT) and communications intelligence (COMINT) packages.

In November 2021 the DRDO demonstrated Rustom-II’s ability to take off and land autonomously as well as its ability to utilise India’s satellite-based navigation system – GPS-aided GEO augmented navigation (GAGAN) – that has been jointly built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Airports Authority of India (AAI).

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The two companies have partnered to establish a joint venture company which would enable technology transfer, joint research and development and licensed manufacturing of unmanned systems between these two entities.

The MoU was signed at the Austrade office in the Australian Consulate in Chennai and is one of the first such partnerships between defence industry companies since the Australia-India Free Trade Agreement came into effect.

Vijayanarayanan Rapalli, MD, Hawking Defence Services, said he has a vision of building an environment for advanced R&D of defence products through investments into critical areas such as Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and chip development.

Timely investments into the above-mentioned areas would enable India to become an epicentre for research thereby increasing its global share of defence exports, he added.

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“All 3 newly developed Loitering Munitions (LM0, LM1, and Hexacopter) have successfully been tested in Nubra Valley area of Ladakh last month during 21-23 March 2022. While LM0 and LM1 achieved full endurance of 60 minutes, the hexacopter did 30 mins flight, making it for the first time in the world that the Man-Portable Loiter Munitions with 4 Kg warhead have successfully tested at a flight ceiling of 4500m, thanks to the facilitation by Army Design Bureau,” said a statement by the company.

In a strategic decision, Solar has announced an acquisition of a 45 per cent equity stake for an undisclosed consideration in Z Motion Autonomous System Pvt. Ltd, Bangalore. This investment will strengthen Solar’s initiative of developing weaponized Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for offensive and Counter Drone systems for the defensive role, said the statement.

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The ‘high-altitude operating, vertical take-off and landing drone’, driven by eight propellers, will have the ability to be launched from altitudes of up to 15,000 feet and the capacity to airlift up to 50 kg of cargo over a distance of 10 km.

The project is being undertaken by the DRDO Young Scientist Laboratories (DYSL), a recently formed group of five specialised research establishments where all scientists, including the directors, are required to be below 35 years of age.

Located at Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai, their core focus areas are artificial intelligence, cognitive technologies, smart materials, asymmetric technologies and quantum technologies, respectively.

In a request for proposal issued earlier this month seeking development partners, DYSL has defined its requirement for an octocopter (eight-engined UAV) with a carbon-composite airframe having a gross all-up weight, including payload, of less than 80 kg.

The octocopter is required to have a payload capability of 50 kg at mean sea level and above 20 kg at extreme altitude, and be able to operate at temperatures up to minus 20 degrees Celsius.

Artificial intelligence-based target tracking and accurate launching and landing, geo fence for operating within a defined geographical area, fully autonomous and semi-autonomous flight modes, GPS, real-time video telemeter and a failsafe system that enables the UAV to return to base in case of loss of radio link, low battery, etc, are other required features for the flying machine.

Cargo drones are being looked at as being force multipliers, according to DRDO scientists. Besides enabling faster and continuous supply to troops deployed at high-altitude areas and difficult-to-reach locations, they can be used for reconnaissance and mapping. In times ahead, they can also be modified for combat operations.

Urgent supplies of essential items such as rations, water, fuel, ammunition and medicines to forward posts in remote areas at present depends on helicopters, which is a costly affair, or ferried by porters and mules, which is time-consuming.

The use of UAVs for logistics in the mountains came into focus when the stand-off between India and China began along the Line of Actual Control in 2020, with propaganda videos showing Chinese troops on the frontline being delivered freshly prepared hot food from base camps.

Last year, a Noida-based Indian firm had demonstrated a cargo hexacopter (six-engined), christened MR-20, for logistic operations in high-altitude areas. The Army is reportedly procuring 48 of these drones that can carry a load of up to 20 kg.

The defence forces have been using various types of imported and indigenous drones, both fixed wing as well as rotary wing, for surveillance and recce. Several projects are already under way in the country to develop new drones of different categories to meet various requirements, including armed UAVs for combat.

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