Work is on to develop within a year the next generation unmanned aerial vehicle – Rustum2 that would operate at an altitude of 30,000 feet for up to 24-hours, carrying a payload of 350 kilograme, said Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Secretary Avinash Chander on Tuesday.

India deploys Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for defence purposes, including reconnaissance and target identification.

DRDO
Reuters

The UAV would be capable of carrying aperture radar, maritime patrol radar, communication and electronic intelligence, optical and infrared imagery sensors, said Dr.Chander at the 27th Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment Lecture on "Emerging Technological Challenges for National Security."

The armed forces have currently deployed Nishant UAV; RUSTOM1, whose capabilities include 7-8 hours of operation, is also ready for deployment.

"High energy weapons, capable of destroying/disabling systems at tens of kilometres, are going to be vital. Unmanned Ground Vehicles will be participating in intelligent missions capable of identifying and distinguishing between friendly and enemy systems with proper signature management," said Dr. Chander, read The Hindu report.

He also added that advanced data compression techniques have assisted soldiers transmit video feed through hand-held devices.

Dr.Chander pointed to the need to strengthen space security infrastructure, to help enable self-reliance on satellite navigation system. The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System is being established, to help safeguard space assets from vulnerability to electronic warfare.

He expressed hope that inclusion of futuristic technologies would revolutionise the intelligence infrastructure.