Let me rephrase.
More than 1000hp power at hand and 2+ ton external payload capacity class.
Indian Military UAV Procurement Programs : General Discussions
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More than 1000hp power at hand and 2+ ton external payload capacity class.
Heron TP and MQ-9B are in the same class, with an all-up weight of around 5.7 tons and a payload of 2.5 tons, each powered by a single turboprop engine.
Meanwhile, the Eurodrone has a total weight of 11 tons and a payload of around 2.5 tons, powered by two turboprop engines. It will be expensive and inefficient in every parameter.
Government scraps deals for 400 defence drones with Chinese parts
NEW DELHI: Cracking the whip on domestic private sector companies that are using Chinese components in drones being supplied to the armed forces, the defence establishment has now scrapped three contracts for the induction of 400 logistics drones by the Army.
The defence establishment is also putting a "stringent mechanism" in place to ensure the military drones being acquired do not have "any Chinese parts or electronics as well as malicious codes", sources told TOI.
The contracts that have been scrapped for 200 medium-altitude, 100 heavy-weight and 100 light-weight logistics drones, collectively worth over Rs 230 crore, were inked with a Chennai-based company under emergency procurement provisions by the Army in 2023.These drones were primarily meant for deployment along the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control with China, following the military confrontation that erupted in April 2020 after the People's Liberation Army made multiple incursions into eastern Ladakh.
"Unfortunately, some Indian companies are using Chinese components and electronics in the drones they are producing for the armed forces. This is a major cybersecurity threat, with the possibility of data security and operations being compromised," a source said.
"An adversary can seize control of a drone or 'soft kill' it through jamming. There may be a 'backdoor' in the electronics that bypasses security protection measures," he added.
All this has gained urgency after some cases of operational failures in the deployment of UAVs for tactical ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) missions along the borders with China and Pakistan.
In Aug last year, an infantry unit deployed along the Line of Control in the Rajouri sector inexplicably lost control of a fixed-wing VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) UAV, which then veered into Pakistan-occupied J&K.
"An investigation was conducted into the incident. The drone-manufacturer was also called for it. It seems there was some technical glitch in the drone. The Army is using over 180 of these drones and the feedback about them is generally positive. The incident in Aug could be an aberration," another source said.
Nevertheless, the defence establishment-Army has increased the level of checks during procurement, with more comprehensive certifications to be provided by drone-manufacturers.
