New Delhi: In wake of the attack on the Jammu Air Force station, the Indian Air Force (IAF) wants 10 anti- drone systems that can be armed with laser-directed energy weapon to bring down rogue drones.
A day after the attack on June 27, the IAF floated a Request for Information (RFI) for Indian vendors for Counter Unarmed Aircraft System (CUAS).
“The CUAS is intended to detect, track, identify, designate and neutralize hostile UAS. Laser Directed Energy Weapon (Laser-DEW) is essentially required as a kill option,” the RFI says.
The RFI mentions that the systems should be equipped with Global Navigation Satellite Jammer System (GNSS) and Radio Frequency jammers as a soft kill option and Laser based Directed Energy Weapon (Laser-DEW) as a hard kill option to destroy the drones.
“It should provide a multi-sensor, multi-kill solution to enforce effective no fly zones for unmanned aircraft while inflicting minimal collateral damage to the surrounding environment. It should generate a composite air situational picture for the operator and generate alerts based on user defined parameters,” the requirements in the RFI say.
All the ten CUAS are required in mobile configuration mounted on indigenous vehicles with cross-country capability and powered by indigenous Electrical Power Supply (EPS) system.
The CUAS should have provision for dismounting of all sub systems including integral power solution from the vehicle and mounting on rooftop or open ground.
The entire system should be road and air transportable. The design should include modularity for quick deployment and withdrawal, the RFI says.
Among the other specifications, the RFI also mentions that the radar should have 360 degree coverage with a range of 5 km for a mini unmanned aircraft system.
Mini drones are extremely difficult to detect as they are low flying, slow moving objects and can miss the radars.
The features are similar to Israel’s drone dome system that can detect small targets at a distance of 3.5 km and bring down the drones through a high-powered laser beam.
A 360 degree radar system allows precise detection followed by visual tracking by the inbuilt camera. The manufacturers describe it as an end-to-end solution for interception and destruction of hostile drones.
Through its jammers or the high-powered laser beams, the drones can be brought down.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an anti-drone technology to detect, intercept and shoot down drones that is undergoing trials.
“It has both soft kill and hard kill capabilities. We are interacting with all security agencies and trying to improve the system. Industry has already taken transfer of technology. Bharat electronic Limited is the ToT holder. Some more industries are coming forward,” said DRDO Chairman G Sateesh Reddy speaking to media.
He said the system has been developed and trials are on.
“More inputs being taken from armed forces, discussions on to modify it further,” G Sateesh Reddy added.
