In the past two years, due to India's unilateral reasons, the Sino-Indian border has not been peaceful, and the various types of drones used by the People's Liberation Army have put a lot of pressure on the Indian army, and it has also made the Indian side particularly jealous. Recently, the Indian Ministry of Defense issued a military order requiring Indian domestic manufacturers to provide drones that can be used in the Indian-China border plateau area to equip the troops stationed at the border.
(PLA Six-rotor cargo drone)
The Times of India said that in the issue of introducing drones, Indian Army is now firmly accelerating the progress. Following suicide drones, artillery drones and armed drones, the Indian Army recently issued an tender for the rapid procurement of 363 drones from domestic manufacturers to strengthen the logistics capabilities of combat troops stationed on the Sino-Indian border.
Judging from the content of the tender, these drones include 163 cargo drones that can fly at high altitudes, and another 200 will be used in medium altitudes. According to the requirements of the Indian army, the weight of each drone cannot exceed 100 kilograms, 60% of the parts must be made in India, the flight distance cannot be less than 10 kilometers, the battery life must reach 40 minutes, the service life must not be less than 1,000 aircraft, and it can withstand strong winds. This type of drone will replace soldiers and be used to transport ammunition and other logistics supplies to border troops. The payload of high-altitude drones cannot be less than 15 kilograms, and the payload of medium-altitude drones must reach 20 kilograms. In addition, manufacturers must provide a package of training for relevant military operators and maintenance personnel. The deadline for bid submission is November 11.
Before this, the Indian Army announced the purchase of 80 sets of micro remote control drone systems, 44 upgraded remote monitoring systems and 106 sets of inertial navigation system to more accurately guide artillery and missile to strike targets. In addition, the Indian Army is purchasing cruise ammunition, suicide drones and reconnaissance drones.
(Indian soldiers stationed on the border)
It should be pointed out that the Indian military is so eager to obtain a large number of cargo drones because the Sino-Indian border area is about to enter winter, and the Indian troops stationed there will once again face severe insufficient logistics supply problems. Due to the poor road conditions in high-altitude areas on the border, the air transport capacity is not as strong as the Indian army boasts. In fact, the Indian army on the Indian-China border often faces shortages of ammunition, weapons and equipment and supplies, which seriously affects the Indian army's combat effectiveness that is not strong enough.
(Indian Soldier)
After the 2020 Galwan Valley conflict, the Indian army has been lingering near the Line of Actual Control. However, the Indian army's logistics support capabilities are simply incomparable to the People's Liberation Army. When the minimum temperature drops to minus 50 degrees Celsius in winter, Indian soldiers can only chew food. Not only does it taste bad, but whether they can eat enough is a problem. In addition, Indian soldiers also lack tents, military fuel, antifreeze and other supplies. What's more exaggerated is that they lack cold-proof clothing for winter. They can only urgently purchase second-hand goods from the US military, and the limited quantity cannot meet the needs of all Indian soldiers. They can only "share" one set for a few people. Of course, this is related to corruption issues such as the Indian military taking kickbacks, but it is more due to the Indian military's insufficient logistics capabilities.
(The Tibetan Military Region uses drones to deliver food to frontline soldiers)
In sharp contrast with the Indian army, the People's Liberation Army on the other side of the border has long used drones to provide logistical support in the plateau areas. For example, transporting food, bedding and other supplies. The Tibet Military Region has demonstrated its ability to use drones to "delivery food" for frontline soldiers. In high-altitude areas on the border, heavy snow will occur in winter when the mountain is blocked. If you rely on road transportation, even if you have sufficient logistics supplies, it will be difficult to deliver to the frontline. The drone will not be affected by the road closure and can deliver the meal to the soldiers as soon as possible. It not only provides a variety of dishes, but also ensures that you can eat hot rice. The People's Liberation Army's drone fleet strongly supports Border Defense Force , which makes front-line officers and soldiers worry-free logistics supplies and food and clothing. As the saying goes, people are iron and rice and steel, and only by eating a full stomach can you have combat effectiveness.
(small reconnaissance drone)
In addition, in addition to cargo drone, reconnaissance drone also greatly improves the combat effectiveness and strike accuracy of the PLA artillery. It can also conduct damage assessment after the first round of strikes, and optimize the plan for the second round of fire strikes. The attack-2 and other all-in-one drones for high-altitude areas improve the PLA's anti-tank, anti-armor and anti-artillery capabilities on the plateau.
(attack-2 detection and attack drone)
Overall, these PLA drones have put a lot of pressure on the Indian army, because the Indian army's own domestic drones are still in its infancy, and they cannot compare with the PLA drone, whether in terms of the number of equipment, types, or combat performance. Therefore, the Indian military issued a military order to the domestic military-industrial enterprise , requiring the creation of "Made in India" drones with the same model as the PLA equipment.
