DRDO to step up development of unmanned aerial vehicles
AMRITA NAIR-GHASWALLA
MUMBAI, APRIL 26:
A month after India’s Defence research agency, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was told to speed up its weapons and systems development programmes to ensure self reliance, the Government has announced that DRDO has stepped up development of certain UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had slammed the DRDO last month for deficiencies in its projects, and had highlighted procedural lapses in obtaining sanction for its new projects.
CAG had also noted that financial powers of the DRDO Director-General and Defence Research and Development Department Secretary were enhanced from Rs 25 crore to Rs 50 crore and Rs 60 crore to Rs 75 crore, respectively.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony had emphasised the need for self reliance in military equipment and asked for speeding up the DRDO projects.
RS 70,000-CR PROJECTS
The DRDO has an estimated Rs 70,000 crore projects on hand.
After the development of Pilotless Target Aircraft Lakshya; Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Nishant; Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV Rustom-I; and various mini and micro UAVs, Antony told Parliament that DRDO has stepped up development of the MALE UAV-Rustom-II.
With regards to Rustom-1, Antony said major objectives, like taxi, take-off and landing, endurance and altitude of the technology demonstrator were accomplished after conducting 26 flights.
Further flights are planned to evaluate its payload capabilities, he added.
Regarding Rustom-2, he said the project was progressing as per schedule with active participation of the users.
While preliminary design reviews and most of the critical design reviews have been completed, the first flight of Rustom-2 is scheduled in mid-2014.
