To strengthen the dominance of the Indian Army from the ground to the sky, rapid action is being taken one after the other. In this context, three such information came to light on Tuesday, which show that the strength and vigilance of the army is going to be such that even a bird cannot kill it. These include the inclusion of ‘Project Akashteer’ and initiating the process of purchasing surveillance helicopters and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
Official sources said that the Indian Army is keeping itself at the forefront of air defense technology through ‘Project Akashteer’, thereby ensuring the presence of a safe and alert airspace over India. This project is a state-of-the-art initiative designed to automate air defense control and reporting processes by digitizing them.
This will ensure wide coverage across defense units of the Indian Army.
According to the source, “The process of incorporating Project Akashteer in a phased manner is already underway. A total of 455 such systems were required, of which 107 have been delivered. The remaining 105 are likely to be awarded by March 2025. While the remaining systems will be handed over by March 2027 and will ensure comprehensive coverage across the defense units of the Indian Army.
Recently, “real time verification” of Project Akashteer was conducted according to possible developments in future conflicts. A senior military officer witnessed it himself and considered it a transformational leap in the air defense capabilities of the Indian Army. Procurement of surveillance helicopters: The government has started the process of purchasing surveillance helicopters and related items and issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the same on Tuesday.
According to RFI, there is a plan to bring these surveillance helicopters under Make in India and Self-reliant India programme. The Indian manufacturers selected under this will have to supply within two years. It has also been asked to prepare the surveillance capability present in these helicopters according to the location, in which they can be monitored at every nook and corner when deployed in desert, plains or mountainous areas up to 4,500 meters altitude.
They are planned to be deployed from western borders to mountainous areas and will be able to monitor day and night in all types of weather and geographical areas in the country. It has been told that the design of these surveillance helicopters will be such that they can be upgraded through accessories as per future requirement without any change in design or structure.
Purchase of ATV for deployment on northern border
The central government also issued an RFI on Tuesday for the purchase of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) for deployment on the northern border. According to the RFI, the ATVs will facilitate the Army’s access to all types of terrain for surveillance, provide mobile platforms for deploying weapons, and transport supplies during operations.
These ATVs will allow faster access to areas where roads are either bad or nonexistent. These must have seating capacity for at least four people including the driver, disc brakes, automatic transmission, GPS, GNSS based navigation system with Navstar, Global Navigation Satellite System and Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System.
India and Bangladesh discuss land port issues
India and Bangladesh on Tuesday decided to enhance cooperation in building infrastructure and developing operational efficiency at various land ports and check posts located along their 4,096 km long shared international border. The two countries met at the Bangladesh Land Ports Authority (BLPA) in New Delhi. And made this commitment during the sixth subgroup meeting of Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI).