Indian Army explores drones for logistics in Siachen and other high-altitude areas

The Story in Brief

India’s army has issued a Request for Information for procuring 2,715 logistics drones, the tender floated on Wednesday seeks unmanned aerial systems to sustain troops in forward areas including high-altitude posts. The drones are intended to provide last-mile connectivity to posts along the Line of Control with Pakistan and the Line of Actual Control with China. The army wants three variants based on operating altitude: low up to 6,000 ft, mid 6,000-12,000 ft and high 12,000-20,000 ft. Systems must operate in temperatures from 50°C to -30°C and include GPS and India’s NavIC navigation, obstacle-detection sensors, thermal imaging and electronic counter‑countermeasures against jamming and spoofing. An identification friend or foe feature is mandated to avoid misclassification. Drones should be deployable from unprepared sites, need only two‑ or three‑member crews, endure at least 1,000 landings and have a minimum seven‑year service life. The move aims to ease costly helicopter and slow foot resupply. Domestic platforms cited include BonV Aero’s Air Hans (20‑kg payload, 12‑km range, 30‑minute endurance, ceiling 16,500 ft) and IdeaForge’s Yeti (50-200 kg payload, up to 6,500 m). The army has run HIM‑DRONE‑A‑THON and HIMTECH events in Ladakh.

The Indian Opinion

The reporting emphasises technical specifications and the potential of drones to improve logistics, but it does not give timelines, costs or firm procurement commitments. An ordinary reader should note that an RFI solicits information and does not guarantee orders; company specifications cited are demonstrations rather than independent performance validation. Operational challenges such as sustained performance in extreme weather, maintenance, integration with existing supply chains and actual effectiveness of ECCM and IFF features at altitude are not resolved in the article. These gaps mean that expectations about rapid large‑scale deployment should be cautious until trials, contracts and field results are published.

Original article: Army looks at drones to improve logistics in high-altitude battlefields such as Siachen (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

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