Netra UAV to be inducted soon

The unmanned aerial vehicle, Netra, jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and a group of former Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) students, is expected to be inducted into the security services by the end of this year.

A demonstration of the UAV was held during the concluding ceremony of the five-day long digital image processing technology seminar organised by the Army Institute of Technology (AIT).

“The vehicle can be used for surveillance in different terrains, including jungles, plains, mountains and deserts,” said Alok Mukherjee, a scientist at the Research and Development Engineers, DRDO, who is associated with the project. “. We have planned to make it available only to the government and not to private parties.”

“Some tests on the vehicles have been carried out. The remaining tests will be carried out in six months. After that it is expected to get inducted into the security forces,” Mukherjee said, adding, “Both the defence minister as well chief home secretary have shown interest in this vehicle.”

According to Ashish Bhat, an IITian, the vehicle can cover a distance of up to 1.5 km from the point where the controlling system has been set up. It can capture images from nearly 200 metres from ground level. Real time transmission of images and videos to the control point is also possible. The vehicle is compatible with thermal imaging cameras for night-time use.

“The Netra can give live videos of the area it is surveying. It can also hover at one place; other vehicles keep travelling while surveying an area,” said Amardeep Singh, another IITian. Singh said that vehicle tests during heavy rains are yet to be conducted. Efforts are also being taken to convert it into a backpack system, making it easier to carry for soldiers.