Indian Military UAV Procurement Programs : General Discussions
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Army probes purchase of drones worth Rs 6 crore, cancels order
The Army is investigating alleged irregularities in procurement of drones in the Eastern Command during the tenure of Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi as the Eastern Army Commander. Documents accessed by The Indian Express have revealed that the investigation pertains to the purchase of 67 quadcopters at a cost of approximately Rs 6 crores under the Army Commanders Special Financial Powers Fund in 2016. Lt Gen Bakshi took over as Eastern Army Commander in August 2015 and retired in July 2017, after having been passed over for appointment as Chief of Army Staff despite being the senior most general for the post.
The Army has cancelled the supply order after finding the equipment defective during acceptance test procedure. Sources said officers involved in the procurement process, including a Major General who headed the technical evaluation committee, were being attached for the disciplinary procedure at HQs 17 Corps in Ranchi.
The Eastern Command had a floated a Request For Proposal (RFP) in April 2016 inviting bids for procurement of 67 quadcopters (day/night) medium range equipment out of the Army Commanders Special Financial Power Fund for the year 2015-16. After being successful in the techno-commercial bidding process, a Mumbai-based private firm, M/s Sure Safety Private Ltd, was selected to fulfil the order by the then Major General (Artillery) on behalf of the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command in December 2016.
In March 2018, Eastern Command headquarters cancelled the supply order on the grounds that the suppliers had committed a breach of the supply order by failing to supply the entire quantity of quadcopters in time and that the quadcopters that were supplied had failed to meet the qualitative requirements. The Army alleged that prima facie, the firm had misrepresented the capabilities of the quadcopters to project the firm as technically qualified when it was not meeting the threshold eligibility.
The Army also ordered a Court of Inquiry around the same time to find out how the firm had been given the order to supply the drones despite the equipment having qualitative defects. The firm had contested the Army’s contention and said that while the majority of the parameters of the quadcopters were in compliance, only a few variations were noticed during testing. It also noted therein that the equipment was complex and required a high level of skill in handling and operation. The firm said that the quadcopters were used without training causing damage to them.
The Army, while cancelling the order, said that the equipment was urgently required for “enhancing the operational capability, to carry out surveillance and keep strict vigil in the operational areas”. It blamed the firm for being insensitive to the operational and national security considerations as the supplier of the security equipment. “You were expected to show the highest standards of honesty and integrity to ensure that there are no deficiencies/shortcomings in the qualitative requirements of the above equipment. Your dishonest and fraudulent approach in relation to qualitative standards of the said equipment has created a void in the surveillance capability, thus jeopardising national security,” the Eastern Command letter to the firm said.
On its part, the firm has denied it has ever used any undue influence of any nature in bagging the contract. It has termed the cancellation of order as “wrongful, bad in law and unilateral decision”. In response to the show cause notice by the Army, the firm has blamed the Army for damaging the drones due to mishandling. It also alleged that the Court of Inquiry had been ordered with “ulterior motives to justify the cancellation of the supply order which was done to avoid the liability of payment”. Reached for comment, Lt Gen Bakshi (redt), declined to comment.
The Army is investigating alleged irregularities in procurement of drones in the Eastern Command during the tenure of Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi as the Eastern Army Commander. Documents accessed by The Indian Express have revealed that the investigation pertains to the purchase of 67 quadcopters at a cost of approximately Rs 6 crores under the Army Commanders Special Financial Powers Fund in 2016. Lt Gen Bakshi took over as Eastern Army Commander in August 2015 and retired in July 2017, after having been passed over for appointment as Chief of Army Staff despite being the senior most general for the post.
The Army has cancelled the supply order after finding the equipment defective during acceptance test procedure. Sources said officers involved in the procurement process, including a Major General who headed the technical evaluation committee, were being attached for the disciplinary procedure at HQs 17 Corps in Ranchi.
The Eastern Command had a floated a Request For Proposal (RFP) in April 2016 inviting bids for procurement of 67 quadcopters (day/night) medium range equipment out of the Army Commanders Special Financial Power Fund for the year 2015-16. After being successful in the techno-commercial bidding process, a Mumbai-based private firm, M/s Sure Safety Private Ltd, was selected to fulfil the order by the then Major General (Artillery) on behalf of the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command in December 2016.
In March 2018, Eastern Command headquarters cancelled the supply order on the grounds that the suppliers had committed a breach of the supply order by failing to supply the entire quantity of quadcopters in time and that the quadcopters that were supplied had failed to meet the qualitative requirements. The Army alleged that prima facie, the firm had misrepresented the capabilities of the quadcopters to project the firm as technically qualified when it was not meeting the threshold eligibility.
The Army also ordered a Court of Inquiry around the same time to find out how the firm had been given the order to supply the drones despite the equipment having qualitative defects. The firm had contested the Army’s contention and said that while the majority of the parameters of the quadcopters were in compliance, only a few variations were noticed during testing. It also noted therein that the equipment was complex and required a high level of skill in handling and operation. The firm said that the quadcopters were used without training causing damage to them.
The Army, while cancelling the order, said that the equipment was urgently required for “enhancing the operational capability, to carry out surveillance and keep strict vigil in the operational areas”. It blamed the firm for being insensitive to the operational and national security considerations as the supplier of the security equipment. “You were expected to show the highest standards of honesty and integrity to ensure that there are no deficiencies/shortcomings in the qualitative requirements of the above equipment. Your dishonest and fraudulent approach in relation to qualitative standards of the said equipment has created a void in the surveillance capability, thus jeopardising national security,” the Eastern Command letter to the firm said.
On its part, the firm has denied it has ever used any undue influence of any nature in bagging the contract. It has termed the cancellation of order as “wrongful, bad in law and unilateral decision”. In response to the show cause notice by the Army, the firm has blamed the Army for damaging the drones due to mishandling. It also alleged that the Court of Inquiry had been ordered with “ulterior motives to justify the cancellation of the supply order which was done to avoid the liability of payment”. Reached for comment, Lt Gen Bakshi (redt), declined to comment.
Not exactly.
The question arise when you come up with requirements only a single vendor can fulfill and that too from a country which need not to operate at even half of the altitude.
Not it is not, however it is incorrect to draft a QR so that only one specific vendor can meet.
Basis for my assertion - vibes. No proof, no technical expertise. Just strange that we need to have a UAV to operate at heights none other country feels like operating. Offcourse we can come up with threat perception theories and suddenly such UAV would sound the need of hour.
Could't be requirement be made so that we can have a choice and thus putting ourselves at a better business advantage? A trade off?
Or we always need an elephant, that too a biggest one?
Unique weapons can be purchased through GTG route, like the Heron TP. Or even Avengers, Guardians, FGFA etc.
This UAV purchase was valid.
We can wish, atleast me as a civilian, that enough explanation has been provided for such acquisitions and the need well surpassed the economic advantage a multiple vendor RFP provides.
These negative sentiments are outcomes of gross misconduct and mismanagement rampant in institutes, including army. People will question any move capable for graft, as its tough for our fellow countrymen to miss such an opportunity, both, to make money and to ask questions.
Considering the kind of work armed forces do i.e national security, some degree of opacity in decision is expected. However opacity should not be a cover for personal gains. What we expect is a maximum level scrutiny and optimum decision making.
Such disclaimer was unnecessary.
Agree that Indians, in general, are less objective in discourse viz a viz people outside subcontinent and put more weight on personas and are easily offended. Here "you" is literally "YOU". Everything is personal with us and thus its safe to talk in third party.
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@Hellfire That brings me to another area of contention.
How do we define the integrity of an individual or an institute and derive whether it is good enough to hold secrets of national interests? Why I am querying so is, there are definitely more than a handful of persons who are aware of complete details of Rafale acquisition including weapon package. They are trusted with the information, but Supreme Court judges who are responsible for country's judiciary deemed not fit to be trusted. Why so? Isn't enabling a single institutions with all powers with no second party scrutiny is a great recipe for graft?
How do we define the integrity of an individual or an institute and derive whether it is good enough to hold secrets of national interests? Why I am querying so is, there are definitely more than a handful of persons who are aware of complete details of Rafale acquisition including weapon package. They are trusted with the information, but Supreme Court judges who are responsible for country's judiciary deemed not fit to be trusted. Why so? Isn't enabling a single institutions with all powers with no second party scrutiny is a great recipe for graft?
Services finalising requirements for armed drones from the U.S.
The proposal for 10 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones for each Service is on, defence sources said
As India and the U.S. look to announce defence deals worth around $3 billion during President Donald Trump’s visit beginning on Monday, the proposal to procure armed drones from the U.S. for the three services is very much under way and the qualitative requirements (QR) are currently being finalised, defence sources said.
“The proposal for 10 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones for each Service is on. The qualitative requirements (QR) are currently being finalised,” a defence source told The Hindu. “The pricing and availability (P&A) data has been obtained from the U.S. and joint QRs are being formulated, while the payloads will be different for each service,” the source added.
The Navy’s QRs are ready and that of the Army and the Air Force should be ready by the next meeting of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC), likely within 40 days, the source said.
The CoSC consists of the three chiefs and is headed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who is also the permanent Chairman of CoSC.
This week during Mr. Trump’s visit to New Delhi, the two sides are expected to announce deals for 24 MH-60R Multi-Role Helicopters for the Navy and six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for the Army worth around $3 billion. The two deals got the final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) last week. There are several other big ticket deals in the pipeline, which includes the armed drones, air defence system to protect Delhi, MK-45 127mm naval guns and six more P-8I long patrol maritime patrol aircraft.
The issue of procuring armed drones from the U.S.— the MQ-9 Reaper or Predator-B built by General Atomics — has been long under discussion, with questions being raised over its necessity given the steep cost and also the operational requirement in the Indian context. With a vast ocean space to monitor and increasing profile in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Navy has been the one pushing for High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones to beef up surveillance.
“There is a drive towards fleet rationalisation,” a Navy source said, adding that they are at a point where in place of manned platforms they should look at unmanned ones. “As we look at unmanned platforms, the number of minesweepers has been reduced from 12 to eight and requirement for additional P-8Is has been reduced from 10 to six, the Navy source explained.
The HALE drones can conduct surveillance, while the P-8Is will be for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) role, the source stated, adding that the Navy is looking for Seaguardian drones armed with missile and radars for maritime reconnaissance.
“If the process goes as per plan, then we expect to issue the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) by first half of this year,” another source said. The U.S. has in principle approved the sale of these armed drones to India following which the P&A data was made available.
Expensive platforms
For the Navy, the Seaguardian can fly in sync with its P-8Is, which are also from the U.S. With India signing the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement(COMCASA) in 2018, U.S. origin platforms will also get encrypted systems which will further improve their capabilities. The unmanned platforms reduce the number of personnel, their turnaround and associated costs, officials said.
While the Navy has a different requirement, there have been questions on the need of armed drones for the Army and the IAF due to which the deal has been delayed for a long time. Each drone with its load of weapons and sensors is expected to cost around $200 million. “It is more expensive than a fighter aircraft,” a defence source said.
According to General Atomics, Seaguardian, the maritime variant of Predator-B, can fly at an altitude of over 40,000 feet and has a maximum endurance of 35 hours. It can carry an external payload of 2.1 tonnes across nine hard points.
The proposal for 10 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones for each Service is on, defence sources said
As India and the U.S. look to announce defence deals worth around $3 billion during President Donald Trump’s visit beginning on Monday, the proposal to procure armed drones from the U.S. for the three services is very much under way and the qualitative requirements (QR) are currently being finalised, defence sources said.
“The proposal for 10 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones for each Service is on. The qualitative requirements (QR) are currently being finalised,” a defence source told The Hindu. “The pricing and availability (P&A) data has been obtained from the U.S. and joint QRs are being formulated, while the payloads will be different for each service,” the source added.
The Navy’s QRs are ready and that of the Army and the Air Force should be ready by the next meeting of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC), likely within 40 days, the source said.
The CoSC consists of the three chiefs and is headed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who is also the permanent Chairman of CoSC.
This week during Mr. Trump’s visit to New Delhi, the two sides are expected to announce deals for 24 MH-60R Multi-Role Helicopters for the Navy and six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for the Army worth around $3 billion. The two deals got the final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) last week. There are several other big ticket deals in the pipeline, which includes the armed drones, air defence system to protect Delhi, MK-45 127mm naval guns and six more P-8I long patrol maritime patrol aircraft.
The issue of procuring armed drones from the U.S.— the MQ-9 Reaper or Predator-B built by General Atomics — has been long under discussion, with questions being raised over its necessity given the steep cost and also the operational requirement in the Indian context. With a vast ocean space to monitor and increasing profile in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Navy has been the one pushing for High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones to beef up surveillance.
“There is a drive towards fleet rationalisation,” a Navy source said, adding that they are at a point where in place of manned platforms they should look at unmanned ones. “As we look at unmanned platforms, the number of minesweepers has been reduced from 12 to eight and requirement for additional P-8Is has been reduced from 10 to six, the Navy source explained.
The HALE drones can conduct surveillance, while the P-8Is will be for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) role, the source stated, adding that the Navy is looking for Seaguardian drones armed with missile and radars for maritime reconnaissance.
“If the process goes as per plan, then we expect to issue the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) by first half of this year,” another source said. The U.S. has in principle approved the sale of these armed drones to India following which the P&A data was made available.
Expensive platforms
For the Navy, the Seaguardian can fly in sync with its P-8Is, which are also from the U.S. With India signing the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement(COMCASA) in 2018, U.S. origin platforms will also get encrypted systems which will further improve their capabilities. The unmanned platforms reduce the number of personnel, their turnaround and associated costs, officials said.
While the Navy has a different requirement, there have been questions on the need of armed drones for the Army and the IAF due to which the deal has been delayed for a long time. Each drone with its load of weapons and sensors is expected to cost around $200 million. “It is more expensive than a fighter aircraft,” a defence source said.
According to General Atomics, Seaguardian, the maritime variant of Predator-B, can fly at an altitude of over 40,000 feet and has a maximum endurance of 35 hours. It can carry an external payload of 2.1 tonnes across nine hard points.
Indian MoD issues global RFI for 100 loitering munition systems
India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has invited responses by 7 April from foreign original equipment manufacturers and assorted vendors to its request for information (RFI) on the intended procurement of 100 man-portable loitering munition systems for the Indian Army (IA).
The MoD's 6 March global RFI states that these "ruggedised" systems, weighing less than 20 kg each, must have a minimum flight endurance of 30 minutes, a line-of-sight operational range of 15 km, and also be capable of operating at altitudes of between 300 m and 4,500 m.
Fitted with a warhead capable of destroying "soft skinned" or relatively less protected targets, the systems will also be required to operate day and night and in all-weather conditions and be operated by no more than two people.
India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has invited responses by 7 April from foreign original equipment manufacturers and assorted vendors to its request for information (RFI) on the intended procurement of 100 man-portable loitering munition systems for the Indian Army (IA).
The MoD's 6 March global RFI states that these "ruggedised" systems, weighing less than 20 kg each, must have a minimum flight endurance of 30 minutes, a line-of-sight operational range of 15 km, and also be capable of operating at altitudes of between 300 m and 4,500 m.
Fitted with a warhead capable of destroying "soft skinned" or relatively less protected targets, the systems will also be required to operate day and night and in all-weather conditions and be operated by no more than two people.
2017 RFI for 50
https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/sites/default/files/tender_document/RFI NSUAS _ 10 Oct 17.pdf
New RFI for 15 (Last one probably expired)
https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/sites/default/files/tender_document/RFI_Final_NSUAS _21 Feb 2020.pdf
It would be of the Boeing Insitu RQ-21 Blackjack class
@Falcon
You were hoping we buy some Fireflies.
www.oneindia.com
The Army is looking to acquire the Raven from the United States and the Spike Firefly from Israel.
You were hoping we buy some Fireflies.
Indian Army set to get meaner with acquisition of Ravens and Spike Firefly
The Army is looking to acquire the Raven from the United States and the Spike Firefly from Israel. This comes in the wake of the Indian Air Force set to get the Refale jets from Paris later this month.
"The Ukrainians were disappointed with the MQ-11 Raven. One Ukrainian military advisor said if it was upto him, he would return them "
"There are two Indian companies Tata Advanced Systems & Idea Forge who have hand held UAVs and undergoing trials for 200 drone tender. A 200 drone “emergency” order to our own companies will go a long way in showing support to pvt indigenous defence manufacturers. "
"There are two Indian companies Tata Advanced Systems & Idea Forge who have hand held UAVs and undergoing trials for 200 drone tender. A 200 drone “emergency” order to our own companies will go a long way in showing support to pvt indigenous defence manufacturers. "