Army To Create Independent Cadre For UAV Operators

The Indian army is looking to have a separate cadre for operating its Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), said AK Suri, Director General, Army Aviation on Tuesday. 

He was speaking at an event on UAVs organised by the Centre for Air Power Studies.

Suri said, “This cadre will be of operators in terms of piloting and will reduce the load on helicopter pilots.” 

He added that the Indian Army has been using UAVs for the last two decades but primarily focuses on the northern and western borders.

A senior official said, a proposal for a separate UAV cadre by the IAF has been sent to the Defence Ministry but is yet to be cleared. At present, the Indian Army operates over 30 Heron UAVs procured from Israel.

A similar proposal to develop an indigenous Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) has also been taken up and it is currently with the Army headquarters once cleared, will be sent to the Defence Ministry to get a nod of approval.

In the same event, Air Marshal Radhakrishnan Radhish, Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at Western Air Command, said that the IAF has a road map for induction of more capable high-altitude long-endurance as well as medium-altitude long-endurance UAVs.

The “unmanned market” is expected to see significant growth in India, Air Marshal Radhish added that by 2026 this market to be the world’s third-largest market.