The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an unmanned, remotely operated tank which has three variants – surveillance, mine detection and reconnaissance in areas with nuclear and bio threats.
DRDO has named the vehicle as – Muntra. According to a Times of India report, it has been developed and tested for the Army by Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) in Avadi, however, the paramilitary has also expressed interest to use them at Naxal-hit areas. That will require a few modifications.
The two remotely operated vehicles designed like an armoured tank were on display at an exhibition – Science for Soldiers – organised by DRDO as a tribute to former President APJ Abdul Kalam at CVRDe in Avadi.
From a helmet-mounted night vision to nano-driven thermal and electromagnetic protection and laser weapons, DRDO showcased many products in an exhibition aimed at boosting the confidence of its employees.
Besides heavy vehicles, DRDO labs also showcased a few inventions like a handheld wall penetration radar which if placed on a wall will project on a screen the presence of people inside a building and also a nano-based electro-magnetic shield which protects combat systems from electromagnetic attack.
Video Courtesy: YouTube
Here’s all you need to know about India’s first unmanned vehicles:
- Muntra-S is the country’s first tracked unmanned ground vehicle developed for unmanned surveillance missions while Muntra-M is for detecting mines and Muntra-N is for operation in areas where there is a nuclear radiation or bio weapon risk.
- The vehicle has been tested and validated at Mahajan field firing range in Rajasthan under dusty desert conditions where temperatures touched 52 degress celsius.
- Army comfortably tele-operated the vehicle. It has surveillance radar, an integrated camera along with laser range finder which can be used to spy on ground target 15km away – may be a crawling men or heavy vehicles.
- The Muntra (Mission UNmanned TRAcked) family of vehicles takes full advantage of an existing proven platform-the BMP 2 which is the license produced version of a Russian designed infantry combat vehicle made in Medak in southern India- especially its amphibian capabilities.
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