The Indian Army has ordered ALPHA-SkyStriker ELSECs Loitering Munition.
Published: Friday, September 3, 2021
Under emergency procurement
powers, the Indian army has inked a deal for over 100 explosive-laden drones,
which would be built in Bengaluru and deployed as force multipliers in
Balakot-style missions. It will have a range of around 100 kilometres.
The army's demand for loitering munition will be met by SkyStriker drones, which will be manufactured and delivered by a Bengaluru-based joint venture (JV) comprising Israeli firm Elbit Security Systems (ELSEC). The contract, which was inked on Wednesday, is estimated to be valued approximately Rs 100 crore.
SkyStriker is a cost-effective
loitering munition capable of long-range precision tactical attacks, according
to Elbit Systems' website. By giving agile soldiers and special forces with
direct-fire aerial-precision capabilities, the drone increases performance,
situational awareness, and survivability.
The autonomous system that can
identify, acquire, and attack operator-designated targets with a 5kg warhead
placed inside the fuselage is dubbed the "death drone" by some since
it crashes into the target with explosives. Its electric motor has a low
acoustic signature, enabling for low-altitude clandestine operations, making it
a quiet, undetectable, and surprise attacker.
“Location information (GPS) would
be put onto the drone before launch,” Alpha Design's CMD, Col (retd) HS
Shankar, told TOI. It will hover about the region after launch, pick up the
target, communicate the information to ground control equipment, and only
attack after receiving clearance. After the launch, ground control can alter
the objective and even call it back if the mission has to be aborted.”
The Alpha-Elbit JV has already
sold around 100 of these drones, which were built using Elbit's technology, and
has orders for another 100. The JV is 51 percent owned by Alpha.
Friend-Foe Finder & Radars
Apart from the army deal, Alpha Design has won two other military contracts
from the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the last week on its own.
The first involves six VHF (Very
High Frequency) radars. Long-range surveillance radars, known as P18 radars,
that can catch objects beyond 200 kilometres were purchased by the IAF in the
1980s and 1990s. Given their age, the IAF debated whether to improve the P18s
or purchase new ones for the same price, and ultimately opted to purchase new
ones.
The IAF launched EOIs and RFPs
under emergency procurement powers, and received responses from four companies:
defence PSU BEL and three commercial businesses Alpha Design, Astra Microwave,
and Data Patterns. Despite the fact that all four companies satisfied the
technical criteria, Alpha was the lowest bidder (L1) and was awarded the Rs 200
crore contract last week.
The second deal, also with the
IAF, is for 60 Identification of Friend-or-Foe (IFF) devices to be connected
with ground radars. The Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) of the Defence
Research and Development Organization (DRDO) created this technology, which was
then licenced to three companies: Alpha, BEL, and Data Patterns.
All of them had created
prototypes that had been authorised by the relevant authorities, but Alpha was
chosen as the L1 business to win the Rs 80 crore deal, which was inked on
Sunday.