Page 7 - ADT JANUARY 2021 Online Magazine

Switching

to Hi-Tech [ UNMANNED SYSTEMS ]

new capabilities and making up for deficiencies,
MODERNISATION AND CAPABILITY while giving impetus to indigenisation. Various
DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDIAN ARMY ARE measures have been adopted by the Army to
reduce procurement time-lines and hasten pro-
PROGRESSING AT A RAPID PACE curement for certain critical requirements, he
adds.
Jay Menon
This Fixed Wing VTOL (Vertical Take-off and
Landing) UAV can be deployed at high altitude
and harsh environments for day and night
surveillance in Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It is man-por-
table and has the highest time on target
The Indian Army is on an aggressive modernisation drive and has compared to any other UAV in its class.
signed an approximately US$20 million contract for undisclosed
quantities of a high-altitude variant of IdeaForge’s SWITCH UAV. “A combination of world-class technology and a
The UAVs will be delivered over a period of one year. deep understanding of customer requirements
has resulted in IdeaForge bagging this contract
IdeaForge has been awarded this contract after it emerged as the against global competition. With the backing of
only vendor that qualified the operational requirements in an eval- reputed institutional investors such as WRVI,
uation done in real-world conditions, for a fast-track procurement. Infosys and Qualcomm, IdeaForge is all set to
The deal has cemented IdeaForge’s position as India’s largest man- grow rapidly. We plan to work with like-minded
ufacturer of drones for defence, homeland security and industrial investors and partners to achieve our vision
applications. of premier drone company serving enterprise,
security and surveillance market globally”,
Speaking on the development, ideaForge CEO, Ankit Mehta says, says Ganapathy Subramaniam, Partner – WRVI
“SWITCH UAV is the culmination of insights and knowledge we have Venture Capital who also serves as Executive
gained over years of experience in helping the Indian Forces oper- Chairman – IdeaForge.
ationalise UAVs in their ranks. The trials saw about a dozen national
and global players compete to meet the operational requirements.
SWITCH UAV is the only product that cleared the Indian Army’s
stringent product trials and surpassed expectations. It is a testi-
mony of the fact that our systems are built like a bird and tested
like a tank. Our systems are fully ready to serve nations that seek
to protect their territorial sovereignty.”

Indigenous Drive
SWITCH UAV is an indigenous system built to cater for the most
demanding surveillance operations of the Indian Forces. “The
changing global geo-political dynamics presents the Nation with
multiple security challenges. While constantly reviewing its oper-
ational preparedness/ postures to meet the perceived security Modernisation and capability development of
challenges, the Indian Army (IA) is committed to the defence of Indian Army is taking place at a rapid pace.
the country from external and internal threats across the entire During the recent past contracts worth over
spectrum of warfare. Also, in times of disaster/ natural calamities, INR400 billion have been signed for capital pro-
the Indian Army is in the forefront, providing aid and succour to curement of defence equipment for Army such
the affected people,” an official in the Defence Ministry informs. as Helicopter, Missiles, Simulators, Artillery
The major Army acquisition is focused on modernisation, building Guns, Electronic Fuzes and Ammunition.

ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY January 2021 | 7