New Delhi: Amid a push for indigenisation and in-house problem-solving, the Indian Army showcased 22 innovations that were designed by its personnel to plug gaps in its battlefield capabilities as part of the Inno Yoddha competition.
The innovations showcased in the competition conducted by the Army in New Delhi were spread across different domains such as unmanned systems, capability enhancement, and operational logistics.
According to the Army, once these solutions are shortlisted by the Army based on their competence, they will be finetuned. They will be taken through several developmental stages such as Research and Development (R&D), Design and Development (D&D), Army Technology Board (ATB) Projects, and Base Workshops. If selected, these projects may be used on the battlefield one day.
ThePrint visited Manekshaw Centre and looked at several newly-developed systems displayed at the venue.
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Baaz Unmanned Aerial System
Colonel Vikas Chaturvedi developed the Baaz Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), a multi-weapon attack drone with the ability to fire rocket launchers—a capability that the Indian Army does not possess as of now.
The drone can drop small arms, automatic grenade launchers, and mortar bombs or explosives on designated targets. This can make it effective in anti-tank roles, the destruction of enemy bunkers, administrative areas, ammunition dumps, command and control centres, counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations as well as in replenishment roles in forward areas.
Col. Chaturvedi told ThePrint, “This drone is first-of-its-kind wherein a rocket launcher can be fired from an aerial platform.”
The Baaz UAS has a range of up to 5km in piloted mode with the help of a hand-held transmitter, which can be extended up to 10km.
“It has an endurance of up to 45 minutes. With the top speed of 12 metres per second, which is roughly around one km in one minute,” he said. The drone, which weighs around 82kg, can lift up to 80kg of weight. It produces 400 kg of thrust.
The drone was tested at high-altitude areas in Sikkim. What stands out about the drone, according to Col. Chaturvedi, is its stability. He said that it does not move even an inch when it is firing.
Col. Chaturvedi also said that no foreign components were used in its making and its entire programming was done in-house.
Drones play a major role in modern-day warfare and have been a critical procurement for militaries around the world due to their cost-effective nature. Unlike traditional military assets, especially manned aircraft, drones operate from a distance and at a much lower cost and without putting human life in harm’s way.
Drones, integrated with sophisticated software, also come with increased precision and can be equipped with a range of weapons to strike designated targets.
Ten AI-Enabled Weapon System
The Ten AI-Enabled Weapon System, developed by Lt. Col. Prashant Agrawal, Col. Ashish Dogra, and Agniveer Pratik Gare, that could come as an aid for the Light Machine Guns operated by the Army was also on display.
Since traditional weapon systems do not effectively detect and engage hidden threats, the system, built using artificial intelligence (AI) detection, tracking and decision-making algorithms, could enhance operational capability and tactical superiority on the battlefield.
The system integrated “advanced” electronic sensor fusion with a deep learning algorithm for real-time detection, classification and tracking of targets, according to the developers.
They said that the system combines data from multiple sensors, including an Optical Camera, Thermal Imager, GPS, Magnetometer, Inclinometer Laser Range Finder, and encoders to deliver comprehensive situational awareness.
The system is a secondary platform with an alternate field of view, detecting targets which are hidden from the main platform’s view.
Remotely Operated NSVT
Developed on the T72 tanks, the Remotely Operated NSVT, a technology to shield the gunner, was also on display.
On battlefields, currently, the gunner is required to operate the anti-aircraft gun from outside the cupola and is susceptible to enemy fire. The T72 is equipped with an anti-aircraft 12.7 mm NSVT gun.
The Remotely Operated NSVT developed by Lt. Col. C. Sarath Chandran, Major Mohammad Navaid, Naib Subedar Rajeev Kumar and Havildar Major Technical (HMT) Romeo Singh, enables the gunner to fire from inside the tank.
Essentially, the developers have modified the firing system by motorising the elevation and traverse mechanism allowing the tank commander to remotely operate and fire from inside the cupola. The modification has come with an integrated screen display for rapid and precise target engagement and acquisition.
“This system ensures the safety of the crew. It is simple in design and can be fitted onto every variant of T72 tank and recovery vehicles which are based on the T72 chassis,” Major Navaid told ThePrint.
Nabh AI
One of the innovations addressed the problem of fratricide due to the incorrect identification of aircraft. This issue has emerged in the Russia-Ukraine war. In 2019, the Indian Air Force shot down its own Mi-17V5 helicopter in a friendly fire near Srinagar.
The NABH AI system, developed by Col. Prashant Thakur, captures the photo of the aircraft and feeds it to an AI programme that searches the database and identifies the model within 6-8 seconds.
Meant to be used by Army Air Defence (AAD), the project will be extended to develop a chip model for Zi-23mm, Zu-23 mm and upgraded L-70-gun systems.
“The system detects the aircraft, helicopter and unarmed aerial vehicles. It took us one year to develop the system. We take the image of the aircraft in burst mode when it is nearly 10-11 km away and the computer automatically selects. Once the photo is fed to the system, it processes and tells the name of the aircraft,” Col. Thakur told ThePrint.
Fast Erection Rubik PD
Major Sudheesh’s Fast Erection Rubik PD offers a solution to quickly construct bunkers in forward areas and do away with the hassle of carrying heavy construction material in high-altitude areas.
The Indian Army is required to construct solid block permanent defence such as bunkers. Presently, the army requires 1,000 blocks which weigh around 28-32 kgs. This requires nearly 25 days plus the transportation time for the material to reach. With the use of Rubik, only 120 blocks will be required.
The Fast Erection Rubik PD, which is constructed with prefabricated interlocking RUBIK blocks, are manufactured using polymer concrete and can sustain sub-zero temperatures. Each block weighs 17kg.
“Rubik helps in the construction of bunkers in two days. The stores can be transported only in two vehicles,” the Major told ThePrint.
“It also saves on the manpower required to build the bunkers. We have infused metal fibres, glass fibres and carbon fibres. It makes the construction process easy as these blocks have an interlocking system. Once the levelling of ground is done, it is easy to build the structure.”
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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