Page 9 - Drones

MQ9-B sale will enhance India's maritime security, awareness capability: US

The sale of General Atomics MQ9-B armed drones would provide India with an enhanced maritime security and domain awareness capability, the United States has said. Last week, the State Department informed the State Department of its decision to authorise the sale of 31 MQ-9B armed drones at an estimated cost of USD 3.99 billion. The projected mega drone agreement was revealed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic state visit here in June 2023. This sale, we believe, will provide India with an enhanced maritime security and maritime domain awareness capability, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at his daily news conference. It offers India outright ownership of these aircraft, and this is something that we'll continue to deepen our cooperation with our Indian partners on, Patel said.

Backed drone deal with India after 'painstaking discussions': Senator

A powerful US Senator has said he ended his objection to the USD 3.9 billion drone deal with India after months of "painstaking discussions" with the Biden administration which assured him that New Delhi is committed to investigating an alleged plot to assassinate a Khalistani separatist on American soil. Following the assurance from the administration, Senator Ben Cardin, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, removed his objections to the deal. The move led the State Department to notify Congress that the US Government has agreed to sell 31 armed drones to India at an estimated cost of USD 3.9 billion. The US on Thursday approved the sale of 31 MQ-9B armed drones to India at an estimated cost of USD 3.99 billion, an acquisition that will bolster India's capability to meet current and future threats by enabling unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols in sea lanes of operation. Under the deal, India will get 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAVs

Robots for reducing manual efforts to nanotech cancer therapy: IISc

FSID at the Indian Institute of Science is witnessing a significant increase in terms of the number of applications of deep tech firms over the last few years

AI, ML-based systems show new-age face of Kerala's plantation sector

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning-based irrigation systems, drones for targeted spraying of pesticides and automation were the technological advances showcased at the Kerala Plantation Expo here on Sunday. The expo was inaugurated by State Industries Minister P Rajeev. Industries and Commerce Director S Harikishore, who is Special Officer, Plantation, said that the sector was thoroughly mechanised today with the influx of startups in the modern times. "As technological equipment leads to decreased cost of production, more planters are going for mechanisation," he is quoted as having said in a release issued by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC). Automation is employed in a big way in irrigation as well as spraying of pesticides across plantations, besides diagnosis of pests infesting crops, the release said As many as 166 stalls by 120 entrepreneurs were open for the public from 9 am at the expo organised by the Plantation Directorate of th

Ram temple event: AI-based CCTV cameras, drones deployed to ensure security

A multi-layer security cover is in place in Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple, with 10,000 CCTV cameras and drones equipped with artificial intelligence keeping an eye on the movement of people and police personnel in plain clothes deployed at the venue. From Dharam Path and Ram Path here, which are witnessing a huge influx of devotees, to bylanes of the Hanumangarhi area and Asharfi Bhavan road, policemen can be seen patrolling the streets. Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) personnel had also conducted patrolling in Ayodhya on Saturday. "Ayodhya is now under the watchful eye of drones equipped with artificial intelligence, alongside the utilisation of anti-mine drones, as part of the concerted efforts to enhance security in the temple town," a senior police official said. While AI-supported drones are conducting aerial surveillance across Ayodhya, anti-mine drones are simultaneously inspecting the ground for mines or explosives, he said. Operating at

Drones banned for 4 days in Trichy ahead of PM Modi's visit to Tamil Nadu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on January 19 and launch multiple development projects in the three states, according to an official release on Wednesday

Houthi rebels attack US-owned ship in Gulf of Aden with bomb-carrying drone

A U.S.-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden came under attack Wednesday from a bomb-carrying drone launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels, officials said. The attack on the Genco Picardy represented the second in recent days targeting vessels directly linked to America after U.S.-led strikes targeting the Houthis. It also underlined the risks to shipping in the vital waterway amid Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The attack happened some 70 miles (110 kilometers) southeast of Aden, where the drone smashed into the vessel, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, an arm of the British navy that oversees Mideast waterways. The ship's captain reported there was fire onboard that had been extinguished, it said. Vessel and crew are safe and proceeding to next port of call, it added. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, identified the ship attacked as the bulk carrier Genco Picardy. Satellite-tracking data had put that vessel off Saudi Arabia in recent day

Yemen's Houthi rebels launch drone, missile attack on Red Sea shipping

Yemen's Houthi rebels unleashed a barrage of drones and missiles targeting shipping in the Red Sea late Tuesday, though it initially appeared no ship was damaged in the attack, authorities said Wednesday. The assault happened off the Yemeni port cities of Hodeida and Mokha, according to the private intelligence firm Ambrey. In the Hodeida incident, Ambrey said ships described over radio seeing missiles and drones, with U.S.-allied warships in the area urging vessels to proceed at maximum speed. Off Mokha, ships saw missiles fired, a drone in the air and small vessels trailing them, Ambrey said early Wednesday. The British military's United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations, which monitors shipping attacks in the region, said it was aware of the Hodeida attack. Coalition forces are responding, no injuries or damage reported, the military said. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity. The Houthis, a Shiite group that's held Yemen's capital since

Russia plans to produce over 32,000 drones each year by 2030: Report

Drones have been widely used by Moscow and Kyiv since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and both sides are sharply increasing military production as the war drags on

Russia launches record 90 drones on Ukraine during early hours of new year

Russia launched a record 90 Shahed-type drones over Ukraine during the early hours of the new year, the Ukrainian air force said Monday, while Russia also reported Ukrainian attacks. A 15-year-old boy was killed and seven people wounded after falling debris from one of 87 downed drones hit a residential building in the city of Odesa, the head of the region's military administration, Oleh Kiper, said. Debris also sparked a number of small fires, including at the city's port. In the western city of Lviv, Russian attacks severely damaged a museum dedicated to Roman Shukhevych, a controversial Ukrainian nationalist and military commander who fought for Ukrainian independence during World War II. University buildings in the town of Dubliany were also damaged, although no casualties were reported. Writing on social media, Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi described the strike as symbolic and cynical, adding, this is a war for our history." Meanwhile, four people were killed and 13 more wounded .

EAD, ADQ sign pact with Dendra to leverage advanced seeding drones

This partnership will support EAD's initiatives in assessing the condition of terrestrial and coastal habitats and increasing environmental information about them

IG Drones Wins the Excellence Award for best Disaster Management for Sikkim Flood Response

The impact of IG Drones' innovative technology in disaster response efforts

LIVE: Israeli military says some 8,000 Palestinian fighters killed in Gaza

Catch all the latest LIVE updates from across the globe here

Pentagon says Iranian drone struck chemical tanker in Indian Ocean: Report

The incident comes as the latest illustration of the growing regional tensions after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel

Merchant vessel with 21 Indians hit by drone, Navy deploys patrol aircraft

A suspected drone attack on a merchant vessel with 21 Indian crew in the Arabian Sea off India's west coast caused an explosion on Saturday but there was no report of any casualties in the incident, according to military sources and a maritime agency. A P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, deployed by the Indian Navy after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, reported the incident, ascertained the safety of the vessel and its crew, Indian military sources said. An attack by Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) on a vessel 200 nautical miles South West of Veraval, India, caused "an explosion and fire", the UKMTO said on its website. Indian Navy officials said a maritime patrol aircraft sent to the area flew overhead the merchant vessel and established contact with it. "The aircraft ascertained the safety of the vessel and its crew," said a Navy official. The Navy has already dispatched a frontline warship for safety of the cargo vessel. It is learnt that the Indian Coast Guar

Suspected drone attack on merchant ship; crew, vessel safe: Coast Guard

A suspected drone attack led to an explosion and a fire on a merchant ship with 21 Indians onboard off the Gujarat coast on Saturday morning, disrupting its power supply, Coast Guard sources said. The 22-member crew and the vessel, Chem Pluto, are safe, they said. The ship was on its way to New Mangalore from Saudi Arabia, the sources said. The fire has been extinguished and the ship's engineers are working to restore its electricity supply which got disrupted in the incident, they said. Indian Coast Guard Ship Vikram, which was on Exclusive Economic Zone patrol, was diverted to the site, they said. The MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) Mumbai received an email from the ship's agent, Fleet Management, about a fire on board suspected due to a drone attack 217 nautical miles off Porbandar at around 10 am, said an official from the maritime security agency. The vessel has 21 Indians, including the master, and a Nepali citizen, the official added. The crew could extinguish

514 drone sightings since 2022, 121 brought down, says Punjab IGP

He underlined how the state police were combining with the Border Security Force (BSF) to clamp down on drug trade and smuggling in the state

95 drones, mostly from Punjab, recovered, BSF deployment increased

BSF Special Director General, Western Command, Yogesh Bahadur Khurania, on Monday said that a total of 95 drones, mostly from Punjab, have been recovered this year. He added that many steps, including increasing troops deployment and conducting vulnerability mapping, have been taken to prevent smuggling of narcotics and weapons from across the border. The Western Command of the Border Security Force (BSF) is responsible for effective border management on the India-Pakistan border with five frontiers Kashmir, Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Addressing the media here, Khurania said that narcotics smuggling has been seen as a challenge for a long time in Punjab and some areas of Rajasthan and Jammu. For the last two to three years, we are seeing that continuous attempts are being made to smuggle drugs and weapons from across the border with the use of drones, he added. Khurania said training is being given to the BSF troops and technique is also being used to prevent smuggling

BSF recovers made-in China drone near in Punjab's Ferozepur district

As per the information from the press note, the recovered drone is a Quadcopter (Model - DJI Mavic 3 Classic, made in China)

Drones deployed in search for elusive leopard spotted in Delhi's Neb Sarai

A leopard spotted on Friday in south Delhi's Neb Sarai area continues to evade the authorities even as an operation to capture it remains underway with the help of drone surveillance and at least 50 police personnel have been deployed to monitor the situation, officials said. Forest department officials have deployed drones to comb the area, they said. "...there is no lead on the leopard. The two trap cages set up by the forest department are still at their places," a police officer said on Monday. The leopard was spotted near a farmhouse in the Neb Sarai area on the border of Delhi and Haryana on Friday. It has not been seen since then. A police officer said at least 50 staffers of Neb Sarai police station have been deployed round the clock to keep a tab on the situation. They, under the supervision of the SHO, are working with forest department personnel. "We are making announcements at least thrice a day, telling people the do's and don'ts if they see the leopard again," a poli