DRDO to develop robotic soldiers for Army

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has planned to build robotic soldiers and mules, as part of unmanned fighting systems for the future, according to a senior official from the organisation.

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating a new research facility being set up with BEML at Avadi, on the outskirts of this city, V K Saraswat, scientific advisor to the defence minister and director-general, DRDO, said, “We are working on building soldier robots that can work like a human soldier. Such robots need a data base; artificial intelligence to carry out activities. DRDO is planning to build such a robot.”

It has also planned to design a robotic mule, to replace the real ones, used by soldiers to carry heavy luggage in mountainous terrain, said Saraswat.

DRDO had already developed Daksh, a remote-controlled robotic vehicle for detecting and destroying dangerous objects like bombs. Daksh was approved by the Indian army for induction, he said.

The army will start trials of the DRDO designed and build Arjun Mark-II battle tank from next October, said P Sivakumar, director, CVRDE. He said the army had ordered 124 units of the Mark-II and more were expected “We will be completing the supplies of the Mark-I version by March 2012. Already, 110 units are supplied, out of the 124 ordered,” he said.

The Indian tanks, he said, were far cheaper at Rs 21 crore as compared to Rs 56 crore each for an American battle tank of similar nature. CVRDE will source the battle tank engines and transmission systems from BEML. At present, these are being imported.

On commercialisation of the technologies developed by DRDO, Saraswat said revenue through this was around Rs 30 crore a year and growing. The offset clause is in an evolving stage, having been raised in some cases to 50 per cent from the earlier 30 per cent. Under this rule, a foreign vendor has to procure equipment worth at least 30 per cent of the order value from India in case the latter exceeds Rs 300 crore.

Saraswat said the offset was at 50 per cent in the case of the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft tender.