DRDO pitches for Netra for anti-insurgency operations

Pune It is called ‘Netra’. It’s a small eye zooming in the sky to gather real time intelligence on the ground. This unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), shaped like a spider and weighing less than 1.5 kg, is only a speck when flying at a height of 50 km but it can give real time inputs to the team that is controlling it on the ground.

The developers, DRDO’s Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) and Idea Forge, a small start-up company incubated by IIT Bombay, are pitching the Netra as a device for “anti-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations”.

It was exhibited at the College of Military Engineering in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday at a workshop to combat Improvised Explosive Devices using technology. The UAV was also presented before the Ministry of Home Affairs at an exhibition in Delhi last month. In February, it will be showcased at the Defence Expo in Delhi.

“It’s useful in aerial patrol; it can help soldiers gather advance intelligence and avoid ambush. A lot of times, officers tell us, that they would like to see what’s happening on the other side of the boundary wall,” said Alok Mukherjee, a scientist at the DRDO. He said the reaction to the UAV had been positive till now. 

“One of the concerns expressed at the exhibition last month was that it could easily be shot down. But at a height of 50 km in the sky it looks smaller than a bird and is a very difficult target to shoot at,” Mukherjee said. At a time, it can stay in air for around 30 minutes and can travel up to 2 km at a stretch.

Although the payload is a camera, now weighing 300 gm, the main aim of Netra being surveillance, Mukherjee said other payloads could also get attached, depending upon the requirement. However, he said this would increase the cost of Netra, which is now priced at around Rs 15 lakh.

“It has quick deployment time and vertical take-off and landing ability. It finds application in anti-terrorist operations, counter-insurgency in forested areas, hostage situations, border infiltration monitoring, local law enforcement operations, search and rescue operations, disaster management and aerial photography,” said Rahul Singh, director, Idea Forge.

An institute involved in the study of snow and avalanche has already placed an order for the UAV. “They want prior information on snow conditions so that they can warn their staff on the ground once an avalanche begins. Several local law enforcement agencies have also expressed keen interest,” Singh said.