Agency
New Delhi: The Indian Army will use hundreds of indigenously built robots to fight terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, a national television channel reported quoting media reports.
The robots are reportedly capable of delivering ammunition at the intended locations in case of unsafe and emergency situations.
According to online portal the eastcoastdaily.in, the defence ministry has already approved an army proposal to induct 544 robots for the purpose.
The army plans to boost the use of such machines for security and surveillance as the ‘terror theatre’ has of late moved from the jungles to urban areas.
“The way the situation is evolving, it may just be a matter of time when security forces as a whole, and Rashtriya Rifles in particular, will be facing the threat in built-up and super built-up areas,” the army was quoted as saying.
“These robotic surveillance platforms can be extensively used by the RR forces (Rashtriya Rifles) for gathering real-time input prior to manual insertion,” the report quoted an army note as saying.
These robots are of “lightweight” and consist of “surveillance cameras and transmission systems with a range of 200 metres”.
Citing the army, the report said the requirement of the robots is to “deliver suitable ammunition e.g. stun grenade”.
The ministry has approved the proposal under the Defence Procurement Procedure 2016 which states only Indian vendors are eligible for the projects.
The security forces have been currently using a remotely operated vehicle Daksh to handle the improvised explosive devices, the report said.
Daksh, developed by DRDO, can climb stairs, lift 20 kg loads and has a three-hour battery life. It can be operated with remote within a range of 500 metres.