The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued requests for proposals (RFP) to purchase a total of 363 drones to serve the armed forces in high and medium-altitude regions.
The tenders are aimed at strengthening the Indian Army’s logistics chain as well as operational readiness along challenging border regions, reported PTI news agency.
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The tenders have been issued under the Fast Track Procedure of Buy (Indian) category to facilitate emergency procurement.
To meet the government’s ‘Make in India’ objective, the drones are required to comprise at least 60% of indigenous components.
In this regard, the government has invited bids from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and authorised vendors.
As per the RFP, the MoD plans to acquire 163 high-altitude logistic drones along with related accessories.
The document specifies the weight of the logistics drone’s payload to be not less than 15kg.
The MoD will also procure 200 medium-altitude drones. The document requires each medium-altitude logistic drone to weigh more than 100kg and can withstand strong winds.
Furthermore, the medium-altitude logistics drone is required to carry a minimum payload of over 20kg.
According to officials, the two drone versions will offer a range of 10km for shifting payloads.
The deadline to submit bids for the tenders is 11 November this year.
Earlier this year, the MoD issued RFP to procure night sights (Image Intensifier) units for the Army’s assault rifles.
It planned to purchase 29,762 night sights (II) with Autogating facilities for 7.62mm x 51mm assault rifles.
