India resurrects dormant effort to obtain shipborne UAVs
The Indian Navy is interested in a domestically built shipborne UAV. For a similar purpose, Australia recently selected Schiebel’s Camcopter. (RAN)
The Indian Navy has been lagging in an attempt to acquire a shipborne UAV, but a new RfI has reignited the effort.
The Indian Navy (IN) is on the hunt for a naval shipborne uncrewed aerial system (NSUAS), as manifested by an RfI that the navy issued on 29 June.
The navy aims to eventually order 40 NSUAS that can be launched from warships, and which can then perform surveillance and reconnaissance, signals intelligence, target acquisition, monitor sea lines of communication, coastal/EEZ surveillance and build maritime domain awareness for naval task groups.
Secondary functions for the UAVs are anti-piracy and counterterrorism support, and search and rescue.
An NSUAS would comprise two aircraft, these being modular and able to be assembled
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