Indian Army to procure RQ-11 UAV Raven for Reconnaissance Missions

News Desk

The Indian army is keen to procure RQ-11 UAV Raven, unmanned aerial vehicle from the US besides Israeli Spike Firefly “loitering” munitions to support its ground soldiers. Indian army is set to procure 200 pieces of RQ-11 Raven UAV, which can help the Indian Army soldiers to conduct reconnaissance.

After the Indian army acquired Spike Mark III ATGM (anti-tank guided missiles) from Israel as part of emergency procurements due to India-China border standoff, it now plans to acquire firefly munitions that can hit an enemy target with precision.

The RQ-11 Raven is a lightweight, low-altitude, remote-controlled, man-portable UAV that can perform intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) operations. The UAV captures and transfers medium-resolution imagery to a ground control unit through a digital data link.

Flying at an altitude of 100ft to 500ft, the Raven UAV provides real-time color or infra-red imagery to the ground control and remote viewing units. It aids in offering surveillance and target acquisition over a large area while presenting infra-red laser rays illuminated or emitted by the ground targets.

India’s former military intelligence chief talked about the Galwan Valley clash said that India should review the role of its intelligence agencies and improve their deficiencies when the India-China border crisis ends. General (retd) Amarjit Bedi has said in an interview that Indian soldier who fought the Chinese PLA soldiers in the Galwan Valley should have received prior intelligence (about the impending attacks). He said, Indian soldiers should have got the news about the movement of Chinese PLA troops beforehand. I think after this crisis is over, there should be a comprehensive inquiry on the matter.