Indian Army to deploy first Bhairav battalion on Nov 1: DG Infantry

While highlighting the role of the Bhairav Battalion, the DG mentioned that the Indian Army is also raising Ashni (fire) platoons in its infantry battalions, responsible for drone operations

The Indian Army is gearing up for a major transformation with the introduction of Bhairav battalions and Ashni drone platoons.

The Indian Army's first Bhairav battalion is to be ready for deployment on November 1, said Director General Infantry, Lt Gen Ajay Kumar, on Wednesday.

The Indian Army's first Bhairav battalion is set to be ready for deployment on November 1, with 25 such battalions planned to be raised in the next six months. Each battalion will comprise 250 personnel from different arms, including infantry, artillery, signals, and air defence.

These battalions aim to bridge the gap between Special Forces and normal infantry battalions, providing a lean and lethal force for rapid, high-impact operations along India's borders with China and Pakistan.

"Indian Army's first Bhairav battalion to be ready for deployment on November 1. A total of 25 such battalions, comprising 250 personnel each from different arms, would be raised in the next six months. They would be bridging the gap between Special Forces and normal infantry battalions. The personnel would be from different arms, including infantry, artillery, signals and air defence," said Kumar.

While highlighting the role of the Bhairav Battalion, the Director General mentioned that the Indian Army is also raising Ashni (fire) platoons in its infantry battalions, responsible for drone operations.

These drones will be used for surveillance, loitering munitions, and kamikaze roles, significantly enhancing the Army's battlefield capabilities. With 380 Ashni platoons already operational, the Indian Army is poised to take its drone warfare capabilities to the next level.

"The Indian Army is raising Ashni (fire) platoons in its infantry battalions, who would be responsible for looking after drone operations in the force. The drones would be used for different purposes like surveillance roles, loitering munitions and kamikaze roles," said Kumar.

Besides the raising of Ashni platoons, Kumar also stated that the Indian Army is also modernizing its artillery capabilities, with 12 launchers and 104 missiles of the Javelin anti-tank guided missiles already in the pipeline. Additionally, the Army is progressing with Aatmanirbhar projects for ATGMs, including the MP-ATGM programme by DRDO.

"12 launchers and 104 missiles of the Javelin anti-tank guided missiles are already in the pipeline under the emergency procurement. Many Aatmanirbhar project for ATGMs are being progressed including the MP-ATGM programme by the DRDO, In addition there is also a case for Make 2 procedure in ATGMs and we are also in the process of finalising the RFP for a fourth-generation ATGM system," added Kumar.

Meanwhile, in a major success for indigenous weapon systems, the Indian Army is set to place a substantial order for 2,408 Nag Mark 2 anti-tank guided missiles, along with 107 NAMICA tracked vehicles.

The Nag Mark-2, along with the NAMICA 2 vehicle, is an advanced version of the previous system, incorporating numerous changes and improvements suggested by users.

"The Indian Army is all set to place orders for 2,408 Nag Mark 2 ATGMS along with 107 NAMICA vehicles. The Defence Ministry is likely to give clearance to the Army proposal in an important meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council scheduled to be held on October 23," defence sources told ANI.

The missiles are produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited. The field evaluation trials of the indigenously developed Nag Mark 2, ATGM, which is a third-generation Anti-Tank Fire-and-Forget Guided Missile, were successfully conducted in January this year at Pokhran Field Range in the presence of senior officers of the Indian Army.